About Female Infertility
Fertility refers to the ability of a couple to conceive and give birth to a child. It develops once a person has passed puberty. For women it marks the start of their reproductive years – this is when they begin ovulating and menstruation. For men the signs like cracking of the voice and becoming more hirsute are symbolic of being able to produce sperm.
The quality of eggs produced after the female turns 35 years old tends to decline. Consequentially their fertility rate declines as well. This is why one in three females, over 35 years of age, has trouble conceiving. After the age of 40 years two in three females have fertility problems. Some steps may be taken to protect the egg quality for longer periods of time.
- One should avoid smoking as females who smoke are likely to reach menopause two years earlier than those who don’t.
- One should avoid being overweight as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) that causes infertility, is much worse for obese females.
- Protection from sexually transmitted diseases like chlamydia and gonorrhoea is important as these often damage the female’s fallopian tubes.
- Healthy eggs can be harvested when in your twenties for fertility treatments such as In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) later in life.
