Q. My husband and I have an
active sex life, we are both healthy, and my periods are
regular. However, we have still not conceived ! Please
help !
A. You need to remember that it's not possible to
determine the reason for your Infertility until you
undergo tests to find out if your husband's sperm count
is normal; if your fallopian tubes and uterus are
normal; and if you are producing eggs. Other tests might
be state of the art saliva panels such as The Female
Hormone Panel, The Thyroid Panel, and The Adrenal Stress
Index. Only after undergoing these tests will your
Acupuncturist be able to tell you why you are not
conceiving. While testing does cause considerable
anxiety, it's far better to intelligently identify the
problem so that we can look for the best solution.
Q. How can I determine my "fertile" period ?
A. Your fertile period is the time during which having
sex could lead to a pregnancy. This is the 4-6 days
prior to ovulation ( release of a mature egg from the
ovary). Women normally ovulate 14 days prior to the date
of the next menstrual period.
Q. My gynecologist has done an internal
examination and said I am normal. Do I still need to get
tests done to determine why I am not conceiving ?
A. A routine gynecological examination does not provide
information about possible problems which can cause
Infertility, such as blocked fallopian tubes or
ovulatory disorders. You need a systematic Infertility
workup or saliva panels.
Q. Do painful periods cause Infertility ?
A. Painful periods do not affect fertility. In fact, for
most patients, regular painful periods usually signal
ovulatory cycles. However, progressively worsening pain
during periods (especially when this is accompanied by
pain during sex) may mean you have endometriosis.
Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs have been quite effective
in this area.
Q. My periods come only once every 6 weeks. Could
this be a reason for my Infertility ?
A. As long as the periods are regular, this means
ovulation is occurring. Some normal women have menstrual
cycle lengths of as long as 40 days. Of course, since
they have fewer cycles every year, the number of times
they are "fertile" in a year is decreased. Also, they
need to monitor their fertile period more closely, since
this is delayed (as compared to women with a 30 day
cycle.
Q. My husband's blood group is B positive and I
am A negative. Could this blood group "incompatibility"
be a reason for our Infertility ?
A.There is no relation between blood groups and
fertility.
Q. After having sex, most of the semen leaks out
of my vagina. How can we prevent this ? Should we change
our sexual technique ? Could this be a reason for our
Infertility ?
A. Loss of seminal fluid after intercourse is perfectly
normal, and most women notice some discharge immediately
after sex. Many infertile couples imagine that this is
the cause of their problem. If your husband ejaculates
inside you, then you can be sure that no matter how much
semen leaks out afterwards, enough sperm will reach the
cervical mucus. This leakage of semen ( which is called
effluvium seminis) is not a cause of Infertility. In
fact, this leakage is a good sign - it means your
husband is depositing his semen normally in your vagina.
Of course, you cannot see what goes in - you can only
see what leaks out - but the fact that some is leaking
out means enough is going in!
Q. My colleagues at work tell me that if we
"work" hard at getting pregnant, and want it enough, we
definitely will ! In fact, my mother in law is even
suggesting that the fact that I am not conceiving means
that subconsciously I do not wish to have a baby (
because it may interfere with my career) and that this
psychological barrier is the reason for our Infertility.
A. There are two schools of thought here. One echoes the
sentiments voiced by your mother in law. The other
school claims Infertility is beyond your
control. Don't blame yourself if you are not getting
pregnant - it's a medical problem which often needs
appropriate medical treatment.
Q. My grandmother says that if I just pray and
have faith, I will definitely conceive. How far is this
true ?
A. Believing in god can help you to maintain a positive
outlook - but sheer will and blind faith won't overcome
a physical problem like blocked tubes or absent sperms.
Q. My husband refuses to get his semen tested. He
says the fact that it is thick and voluminous means it
must be normal.
A. Semen consists mainly of seminal fluid, secreted by
the seminal vesicles and the prostate. The volume and
consistency of the semen is not related to its fertility
potential, which depends upon the sperm count. This can
only be assessed by microscopic examination.
Q. My sister conceived only after 6 years of
marriage. Does this mean I will also have difficulty
conceiving ?
A. If your mother, grandmother or sister has had
difficulty becoming pregnant, this does not necessarily
mean you will have the same problem! Most Infertility
problems are not hereditary, and you need a complete
evaluation.
Q. My doctor just did a physical examination for
me, and he feels that the reason for my Infertility is
that my uterus is tipped backwards, and this prevents
the sperm from swimming into the uterus. He is advising
I have surgery to correct this problem. Should I go
ahead ?
A. About one in five women will have a retroverted
uterus. If the uterus is freely mobile, this is normal,
and is not a cause of Infertility. This is not an
indication for surgery!
Q. My husband says we should be having
intercourse every day to achieve pregnancy. Is this true
?
A. Sperm remain alive and active in woman's cervical
mucus for 48-72 hours following sexual intercourse;
therefore, it isn't necessary to plan your lovemaking on
a rigid schedule.
Q. My friends say I should have sex exactly on
the day I ovulate to get pregnant. How can I do this ?
A. Although having sexual intercourse near the time of
ovulation is important, no single day is critical. So,
don't be concerned if intercourse is not possible or
practical on the day of ovulation.
Q. My sister in law is advising me to keep a
pillow under my hips during and after intercourse . Will
this increase my chances of conceiving ?
A. Sperm are already swimming in cervical mucus as
sexual intercourse is completed and will continue to
travel up the cervix to the fallopian tube for the next
48 to 72 hours. The position of the hips really doesn't
matter.
Q. My mother feels I am too tense, and that if I
just relax, I'll get pregnant.
A. If pregnancy has not occurred after a year, chances
are there is a medical condition causing Infertility.
There is no evidence that stress causes Infertility.
Remember, all infertile patients are under stress - it's
not the stress which causes infertiliity, it's the
Infertility which causes the stress!
Q. I just had a HSG ( X-ray of the uterus and
tubes) done, and this shows my tubes are blocked. I've
never had symptoms of a pelvic infection, so how could
my tubes get blocked ?
A. Many pelvic infections have no symptoms at all, but
can cause damage, sometimes irreversibly, to the tubes.
Q. If I do IVF and grow so many eggs as a result
of superovulation, will I run out of eggs and become
menopausal sooner ?
A. Fact: This is a very common concern, but the fact is
that in every cycle , 40 follicles in your ovary start
to mature. Of these 40 follicles, only one will continue
to grow, become the "dominant follicle" , and ovulate .
( This is why most women have one baby at a time, unlike
rabbits who have lots of rabbits when they get pregnant,
because so many more of their follicles mature at the
same time). The rest of the follicles die naturally,
this process being called atresia. This means that every
cycle, 40 of your eggs die naturally, no matter what you
do. When we superovulate you, we rescue the eggs which
would otherwise have died normally. This means that you
do not " run out of eggs " as a result of the
superovulation !
Q. My husband's sperm count varies every time we
test it ! How do we determine what the "real" sperm
count is ?
A. Even a normal ( fertile ) man's sperm count can vary
considerably from week to week. Sperm count and motility
can be affected by many factors, including time between
ejaculations, illness, and medications. There are other
factors which affect the sperm count as well, all of
which we do not understand.
Q. I have no problems having sex. Since I am
virile, my sperm count must be normal.
A. There is no correlation between male fertility and
virility. Men with totally normal sex drives may have no
sperms at all.
Q. My semen analysis report shows I have no sperm
in the semen ( azoospermia ). Is this because I used to
masturbate excessively as a boy ?
A. Masturbation is a normal activity which most boys and
men indulge in. It does not affect the sperm count. You
cannot "run" out of sperms, because these are constantly
being produced in the testes.
Q. My wife is frigid and does not enjoy having
sex. Could this be the reason for her Infertility?
A. There is no connection between sexual pleasure and
fertility. And don't forget that the commonest
reason women do not enjoy sex is because their husbands
are unskilled lovers ! Maybe you should improve your
sexual technique, and spend more time in foreplay and in
pleasuring your wife.
