Addressing Infertility
Everything You Should Know About Infertility
From heavy alcohol consumption to severe uterine disorders, many factors cause someone to become infertile. In the U.S. today, nearly 20% of women between the ages of 15 and 49 who haven’t given birth are infertile. Addressing the challenges of infertility with effective technologies make it possible for infertile individuals to have children.
What Is Infertility?
Infertility is a condition that occurs when someone is unable to conceive after at least one year of unprotected sex. Fertility invariably declines with age among women, which is why women who are at least 35 years old will be treated for infertility after six months. For a pregnancy to occur, four steps must take place.
Infertility can develop during any step in this process: First, a woman’s body will need to release an egg from an ovary. A man’s sperm must then join the egg through fertilization. This egg then travels through the Fallopian tube before reaching the uterus. A woman can only become pregnant once the embryo attaches to the interior of the uterus.
Causes of Infertility
A wide range of unique factors can cause infertility in the reproductive system. However, the specific cause of this issue isn’t always clear. A common cause of infertility in a woman’s reproductive system involves inflammatory uterine disorders, which can be either benign or congenital. Disorders in the ovaries or endocrine system can also cause infertility problems. The presence of an untreated sexually transmitted infection might result in a tubal disorder that blocks fallopian tubes and makes it impossible to become pregnant.
As for the male reproductive system, infertility can be caused by a hormonal disorder that leads to abnormalities among hormones made by the testicles and pituitary gland. Testicular and pituitary cancers can lead to hormonal disorders. Abnormal sperm quality or function can cause infertility as well. For example, anabolic steroid use can change sperm shape and count.
Some lifestyle factors increase your risk of becoming infertile, which include obesity, high alcohol intake and smoking. People who are regularly exposed to environmental toxins or pollutants could become infertile.
Importance of Addressing Infertility
Everyone should have the means to decide when and how many children they want. Infertility can make it challenging for some people to access this human right, however. Over the past few decades, numerous technologies have been developed and improved to solve infertility problems and allow more people to start families. These services can be accessed by anyone from older individuals to same-sex partners. Contact our New Jersey adoption attorney if you have questions about your options for having a child.
Challenges to Overcome
In the U.S., it’s possible for individuals or couples who are infertile to benefit from modern infertility solutions. However, the availability of these treatments is relatively scarce in many countries that might not have the same resources. In some countries, treating infertility isn’t considered a top priority. Certain countries that are working to address infertility are running into roadblocks that include everything from a lack of the right equipment and personnel to the high costs associated with medications needed for treatment.
In recent years, millions of children have been born via assisted reproduction technologies (ART). The main technologies available to you include the following:
- In vitro fertilization (IVF)
- Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
- Frozen embryo transfer (FET)
- Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)
Many of these technologies are unavailable in low-income countries. There are, however, potential solutions to the inequities that result in fewer people having easy access to effective fertility treatments. One solution involves the government creating health policies that treat infertility as a disease that can be prevented. In this scenario, more people could avoid needing these treatments in the first place.
Some additional solutions include teaching healthy lifestyles, promoting STI prevention and treatment, developing fertility awareness programs, addressing environmental toxins and preventing many of the complications that occur from abdominal surgery and unsafe abortions.
Also, governments need to create laws that effectively regulate assisted reproduction technologies to provide universal access. At the moment, these technologies are too expensive for many people. By putting these fertility policies in place, lasting change may be possible. However, the policies must be overseen once they’re introduced to ensure they work as intended.
If you or your partner is having difficulty getting pregnant, there are many potential solutions you can consider, which include everything from assisted reproduction to adoption. When you are considering one of these arrangements and would like to have legal representation, call our New Jersey adoption attorney at 856-429-5005 to schedule an appointment.