Medical science has no clue about fertility

Medical science has no clue about fertility
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Highlights

The medical fraternity still has no clue why certain couples are unable to beget children. Such cases now are termed ‘unexplained infertility’.  There is not one specific diagnosis, but possibly a combination of one or more inefficiencies in the process of conception.

About 17 per cent couples in city diagnosed with unexplained infertility

The medical fraternity still has no clue why certain couples are unable to beget children. Such cases now are termed ‘unexplained infertility’. There is not one specific diagnosis, but possibly a combination of one or more inefficiencies in the process of conception.

Dr Chandana Lakkireddi, Fertility Consultant, Nova IVI Fertility says about the phenomenon, “In over 80 per cent of couples, experts can identify the male or female factors that affect fertility. In some cases, there are both male and female factors, also known as combined infertility.”

“A standard evaluation of couples with infertility usually involves initial tests like semen analysis and assessment of fallopian tubes. Sometimes, we discover a woman has blocked fallopian tubes (so eggs can’t be fertilised and travel to the uterus) or abnormalities of the uterine cavity, such as fibroids (which may prevent a fertilised egg from implanting),” she adds.

When the results of these tests are normal, the diagnosis of unexplained infertility is made. Unexplained infertility in nearly 17-20 per cent of the cases in Hyderabad. There are no tests for "subtle infertility factors" that could impact fertilisation, such as poor egg quality.

“Patients with unexplained infertility are often worried, depressed and frustrated with the lack of a definitive diagnosis. The majority of couples who have unexplained infertility will see their initial frustration eventually change into happiness after achieving a pregnancy spontaneously or following successful treatment.

What's more, the success rate of IVF is actually pretty impressive. In women under the age of 35, nearly half (47.7 per cent) of transfers resulted in live births. While that percentage does decrease with age, it's still reasonably high for women between the ages of 38 and 40, with 28.5 per cent of transfers resulting in live births,” explains Dr Chandana Lakkireddi.

Unexplained infertility is a diagnosis encompassing many possible abnormalities resulting in a less efficient conception process. While some abnormalities can be treated with Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) and some are beyond the reach of our current knowledge. In a country with a population of 1.2 billion, it is estimated that a whopping 30 million couples suffer from infertility.

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