Information
Understanding infertility is the first step toward identifying effective treatment options.
Understanding infertility is the first step toward identifying effective treatment options.
Information
The Path to Conception
In the Beginning: Fertility, then Conception
Fertility is the ability to conceive a child. It’s not likely to be in your daily thoughts until you’ve decided to start a family.
The level of fertility can be affected by many factors including age after mid-thirties, general health, stress levels, medical issues and illness, and lifestyle matters such as smoking, alcohol, and excessive or insufficient exercise. In some cases, the intending parent may need to reconsider aspects of their lifestyle.
Seemingly simple, the process of conception and reproduction are actually very complicated. Just consider the very beginning: a sperm (which must be healthy) and is accompanied by countless other rivals, has to successfully make its way to a healthy egg and penetrate it. That’s just step one.
Before Conception can Occur
Conception (fertilisation) is made possible by your menstrual cycle: every month, your ovaries release an egg into the fallopian tube to enable it to be fertilised. This must take place within 12 to 24 hours, after which the egg is no longer viable and simply dissolves.
How Conception Takes Place
The journey for sperm, produced by a male’s testicles, is long and arduous, a natural means of ensuring that only the fittest survive so only the strongest of many millions even get close. And then only one, the very healthiest, makes it. (Multiple births, e.g., twins are rare and higher numbers rarer still.)
Once this has happened, the egg no longer allows another sperm to enter.
Cell Division: the Beginning of Life
The newly fertilised egg (zygote) makes its way down the fallopian tube to the uterus. While doing so it divides itself into two cells, then four then eight and so on, quickly becoming a cluster called a blastocyst; this attaches itself to the uterus’s lining (endometrium). It needs to stay in place in a crucial stage known as implantation. Otherwise the fertilised but unanchored egg leaves your body next time you menstruate.
But if implantation is successful, the cells continue to divide, forming your baby and the placenta. Newly released hormones will ensure the uterus’s lining remains in place and won’t be shed. The resulting cessation of periods is a clear signal this has taken place.
Other indications include tiredness, frequent urination, a slight rise in body temperature, nausea (morning sickness), sore or swollen breasts, food cravings/aversions, cramping, headaches, changes in mood or temperament, and light vaginal bleeding (spotting).
The successful pregnancy will be confirmed by a urine or blood test.
When Implantation is NOT Successful
There are many possible reasons why implantation is not successful, including, but not limited to:
· Embryo quality (Most common) – Approximately 60-95% of failures are due to the embryo itself, most often chromosomal abnormalities (aneuploidy) that prevent it from being viable.
· Uterine Environment – The endometrium (uterine lining) may not be receptive, or issues such as polyps, fibroids, or scar tissue may interfere.
· Immune System Factors – In some cases, the immune system may mistakenly target the embryo.
· Age – The percentage of chromosomally abnormal eggs increases with age, reducing the chance of creating a healthy embryo.
· Lifestyle – Factors such as smoking, high stress, and high BMI can contribute to failure.
How Conception Takes Place with IVF?
The principle remains the same, with the sperm needing to fertilise a viable egg. But now the process is facilitated through Assisted Reproduction Technologies (ART) such as:
· In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)
· Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)
· Ovulation Induction (OI)
· Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
DISCLAIMER: We are a fully volunteer-run organisation. If you find any information on this website you believe is incorrect or needs updating, please let us know at hello@artfam.com.au.
Acknowledgement of Country
ARTFam & ASMBC acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we live, work, and build our families. We pay our respects to the Elders past and present, and we honour the strength, knowledge, and enduring connection that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have to family, community, culture and Country.
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