Unfortunately, lots of couples have difficulty conceiving a child naturally for various reasons. Sometimes inability to conceive is the result of advancing age, commonly referred to as “the biological clock”, or it could be due to medication (such as cancer treatment) or certain health conditions. Tests can be carried out to help determine the cause of infertility. Statistically speaking, around 30% of infertility cases are attributed to female factors and 30% to male factors. Sometimes it is a combination of the two and other times there is no clear reason as to why a couple cannot conceive. This is labelled “unexplained infertility”.
At Concept Fertility, we test both the female and male partners to try and find a route cause for your inability to conceive thus far. The main test on the female partner is usually an ultrasound scan and then main test for a man is a semen analysis. Sometimes, both partners also need a blood test.
Unexplained infertility is undeniably a frustrating diagnosis, but it is both good and bad news. It means that there is no obvious reason why you cannot conceive, so it might still happen. In other words, if your doctor or fertility expert cannot find an obvious reason why you haven’t been able to conceive yet, it doesn’t mean it’s not a possibility in the future. Lots of couples with unexplained infertility can go on to have healthy babies, either naturally or with the help of fertility treatments. However, the bad news is that it can be trickier to determine the next steps. With this in mind, it would be wise to seek out as much expert advice as possible.
Patients who are diagnosed with unexplained infertility are often given advice on how to improve their lifestyle to increase their chances of a successful pregnancy. For instance, they may have to quit smoking and/or drinking or change their diet so that it includes more nutritious ingredients. It’s also important to time your sexual intercourse so that you can take advantage of the ovulation period. Ovulation kits are available that can help you determine when this will happen.
If you have been trying to conceive through regular, unprotected sex for over a year, it may be a good time to pursue a treatment, such as IVF, to help you have a baby.
