Couples who desire children want to know if they are fit or fertile enough for the task. It would give them peace of mind to know that they are fertile. Those who discover that they are indeed infertile would be better off knowing their condition earlier to take contraceptive measures. Infertile couples though need to be cautioned on the different safety measures required for their sex life.
There are several factors that affect fertility. First, age matters because fertility is directly affected by age; especially in women. Fertility testing or evaluation will include assessing the couple’s age and seeing weather they are at the right age to opt for children. Generally, if the woman is younger than age 35 years should be referred to evaluation after 1 year of infertility and if older than 35 years, after 6 months of infertility. Referral should be done sooner to women who are 35 years old and above because such ages are potential for infertility.
It would be important for couples to take note of their lifestyle and sexual practices. For the male, it would be best to evaluate the frequency of masturbation, failure to achieve ejaculation, and the use of lubricants and past contraceptive measures. Essentially, both the man and the woman’s lifestyles should be placed under evaluation. In a couple’s lifestyle, they should put into consideration how frequently they drink or smoke. Drinking and smoking are among those common variants which can affect the infertility of couples.
Because infertility may be a problem of either partner, both couples should assess fertility problems together. The findings of the health care professionals also matters and will help couples make their plan of action. The couple should attend promptly in tests according to schedule and maintain good conditioning in all these tests. If couples are found out to be infertile, they can opt for other alternatives such as artificial insemination, embryo transfer, in-vitro fertilization, and other alternatives that their doctors might recommend them.
