Women of childbearing age are usually able to conceive when they truly want to and are typically very healthy. However, there are health issues which can change this. Two health issues which can affect the ability to have children are infertility and human papilloma virus.

In this article you'll learn the basics about each and how they are connected. You'll also learn what possible treatments are available to you if you have HPV or are experiencing infertility.

What is Infertility?

Infertility is the inability to conceive and bear children. A woman who is having unprotected sex on her most fertile days of the month with a healthy male who is fertile and still cannot get pregnant is said to be having issues with infertility. This is a problem that affects millions of women.

Why Does Infertility Occur?

A factor in immune cells regulates human semen and seems to determine whether a man will be fertile, according to a new study.

Dr. Yousef Al-Abed, PhD, and colleagues at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research isolated an immune substance called macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in semen samples from infertile and reproductively healthy men. MIF is crucial to helping human sperm mature, which is a necessity for its union with an egg. This finding could lead to an effective test for determining fertility.

This One is Just Right

Before medicine is decided upon as a treatment for female infertility, a doctor will perform a complete physical exam on the patient as well as ask a multitude of questions about the patient’s present state of health (both physical and mental), medical history and sexual patterns. Some doctors will choose to talk to both partners while other will deal with the woman who is their patient, on her own.

There are some common medicines that are used to treat infertility in women. These medicines include clomiphene citrate, human menopausal gonadotropin (or hMG), follicle-stimulating hormone (or FSH), gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog, metformin and bromocriptine. Let’s take a brief look at each one of these medicines.

Clomid

Clomiphene citrate, which is sold under the brand name Clomid, is a type of medication that makes ovulation take place by working on the pituitary gland in the brain. This medicine, which is taken orally, is commonly prescribed for women who have a variety of problems with ovulation including those who suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

Infertility is a deeply personal and emotionally laden topic and it can also at times be challenging and akin to an uphill battle. Assisted reproductive techniques can be scary and sometimes they can take a fairly lengthy period of time to show results.

The medication that is often prescribed to work in concert with these techniques as well can have it s share of potential side effects and may not be suitable for everyone, depending on their medical history and current health situation. Included in this are high hopes for both the couple trying to conceive as well as their family members and a good measure of fear if it proves to be unsuccessful after all of the time, effort and money that was put into it.

Healthy Alternatives

Infertility has many causes. Most of the reasons for a couple's infertility can be treated. The first step is for the couple to be evaluated so that a diagnosis can be made. The diagnosis will answer the question: Why can't we get pregnant? Once the why is answered, the how is easier to answer too.

What to expect during the evaluation stage:

1. The female and male may both be asked to undergo physical examinations. They will also be asked about their medical and sexual histories.

2. The male will be asked to submit to a semen analysis (SA). This is to determine how healthy the sperm are, as well as how mobile they are. There will also be a sperm count.

3. A determination will be made regarding if the female is ovulating or not. To determine this a blood test will be conducted during her cycle. The blood test is used to detect hormones that are present during the menstrual cycle and can indicate whether or not ovulation has taken place.

4. The female can use an ovulation kit to predict when she is likely to ovulate.