Book an appointment
with A/Prof Polyakov today.
with A/Prof Polyakov today.
Enquire Now
If you have been trying to get pregnant for more than a year and have not yet succeeded, Dr Polyakov can assist you in everything from fertility testing and treatment options.
Fertility is the capability of women to achieve pregnancy. Women aged below 35 years who fail to conceive after 12-months of contraceptive-free intercourse are considered as infertile.
Infertility is usually defined as not being able to get pregnant despite trying for one year. A broader view of infertility includes not being able to carry a pregnancy to term and have a baby.
Pregnancy is the result of a chain of events. Women's fertility often depends on her body's ability to release an egg from one of her ovaries (ovulation). The egg must travel through a fallopian tube toward her uterus (womb). A mans sperm must join with (fertilise) the egg along the way. The fertilised egg must then become attached to the inside of the uterus.
While this may seem simple, many things can happen to prevent pregnancy from occurring. Visit Dr Alex Polyakov east Melbourne fertility clinic providing a comprehensive range of fertility investigations and treatment.
Some fertility problems are more easily treated but infertility treatment depends on various things-
It is a myth that infertility is always a woman's problem. About one-third of infertility cases are due to problems with the man (male factors) and one-third are due to problems with the woman (female factors). Other cases are due to a combination of male and female factors or to unknown causes.
It is recommended that you seek medical advice if you are a woman aged below 35 years and fail to conceive after 12 months of contraceptive-free intercourse, or if you are aged 35 years and above, and fail to conceive after 6 months, to best improve your chances of conceiving.
Infertility in men is often caused by problems with making sperm or getting the sperm to reach the egg. Problems with sperm may exist from birth or develop later in life due to illness or injury. Some men produce no sperm, or produce too few sperm. Lifestyle can influence the number and quality of a man's sperm. Alcohol and drugs can temporarily reduce sperm quality. Environmental toxins, including pesticides and lead, may cause some cases of infertility in men. There are, however, effective male infertility treatments available.
Read here to know more about Male Infertility. Comprehensive overview covers causes, signs and symptoms, treatments, diagnosis and risk factors.
Problems with ovulation account for most women's fertility problems. Without ovulation, eggs are not available to be fertilised. Signs of problems with ovulation include irregular menstrual periods or no periods. Simple lifestyle factors including stress, diet, or athletic training can affect a woman's hormonal balance. Much less often, a hormonal imbalance from a serious medical problem such as a pituitary gland tumour can cause ovulation problems.
Aging is an important factor in female infertility. The ability of a woman's ovaries to produce eggs declines with age, especially after age 35. About one-third of couples where the woman is over 35 will have problems with fertility. By the time she reaches menopause, when her monthly periods stop for good, a woman can no longer produce eggs or become pregnant.
Other problems can also lead to complications with women's fertility. If the fallopian tubes are blocked at one or both ends, the egg can't travel through the tubes into the uterus. Blocked tubes may result from pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, or surgery for an ectopic pregnancy.
Find out what kinds of tests women's need to get to find out why they may have some fertility concerns, causes, diagnosis and treatments for female infertility in detail.
If you have been trying to have a baby without success, you may want to seek medical help. If you are over 35, or if you have reason to believe that there may be a fertility problem, you should not wait for one year of trying before seeing a doctor. A medical evaluation may determine the reasons for a couple's infertility. Usually this process begins with physical exams and medical and sexual histories of both partners. If there is no obvious problem, like improperly timed intercourse or absence of ovulation, tests may be needed.
For a man, testing usually begins with his semen examination to look at the number, shape, and movement of his sperm. Sometimes other kinds of tests, such as hormone tests, are done.
For a woman, the first step in testing is to find out if she is ovulating each month. There are several ways to do this. For example, she can keep track of changes in her morning body temperature and in the texture of her cervical mucus.
Another tool is a home ovulation test kit, which can be bought at a pharmacy.
Checks of ovulation can also be done in the doctor's office, using blood tests for hormone levels or ultrasound tests of the ovaries. If the woman is ovulating, more tests will need to be done.
Some common female tests include:
Depending on the test results, different treatments can be suggested. Eighty-five to 90 percent of infertility cases are treated with drugs or surgery.
Various fertility drugs may be used for women with ovulation problems. It is important to talk with Dr Alex Polyakov about the drug to be used. You should understand the drug's benefits and side effects. Depending on the type of fertility drug and the dosage of the drug used, multiple births (such as twins) can occur in some women.
If needed, surgery can be done to repair damage to a woman's ovaries, fallopian tubes, or uterus. Sometimes a man has an infertility problem that can be corrected by surgery.
