Fertility And You; How It Works

It seems like everyone almost everyone is able to conceive these days, not just the young as in years past. My name is Brielle F. and for years I was unable to conceive. I used to think there was something wrong with me (or possibly my ex-husband), but now I know that is not the case. In my opinion the ability to conceive isn’t just about the body, it’s also about circumstances.

When I was married to my ex-husband I was in my 20’s (usually the perfect time to conceive, as far as a woman’s body is concerned). A young woman with regular menstrual cycles will be able to use the “natural” method of conception which for those trying to conceive consists of fertility awareness; this is using the calendar, basal body temperature, and cervical mucus generation to determine when your body is most fertile and ready to become pregnant.

Now when a woman is having trouble conceiving there are medicines and hormones which are first used to help a woman conceive. If that doesn’t work the next step is to use in vitro fertilization and assisted reproductive technologies such as Intracytoplasmic sperm injection or ICSI, which is the injection of a single sperm into an egg that is then placed in the woman’s uterus or fallopian tube. Used with in vitro fertilization, ICSI is often a successful treatment for men with impaired sperm.

Other technologies such as Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) are available which involves collecting eggs from the ovaries, and then placing them into a thin flexible tube with the sperm. This is then injected into the woman’s fallopian tubes, where fertilization takes place. Another method is Zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT), which combines IVF and GIFT. Eggs and sperm are mixed outside of the body; the fertilized eggs (zygotes) are then returned to the fallopian tube, which allows them to travel to the uterus.

I waited 10 years before I found love again with my current husband. Our relationship is much different than my previous marriage was; we don’t argue that often and when we do, it’s not a screaming match but rather a conversation; our relationship just seems to flow naturally. I made sure before we were married, that my man knew I was probably infertile. I never expected in my mid 30’s to become pregnant, and imagine my surprise when I did!

I sincerely think that being relaxed about conceiving; not worrying about whether or not I would become pregnant and having a man that loved me children or not, made all the difference for us. Having a child is wonderful, but I know that our relationship would be just as wonderful without one. For any woman out there who is stressing out about conceiving, the first thing to do is relax. Live for today, find joy in the everyday things, and find love and understanding with your partner. Once you do that you can both navigate the path to parenthood, whether naturally or with a little medical help.