What is Unexplained Infertility?
Unexplained infertility can be defined as the inability to clearly identify the health problem that prevents the couple from having a baby. In many couples, infertility can be attributed to either the man or the woman. There may be problems with the number and quality of sperm in the man or problems with the eggs and ovulation in the woman. Besides these, the cause of infertility cannot be found exactly. After tests and medical examinations, infertility may remain “unexplained”.
What Causes Unexplained Infertility?
Unexplained infertility is estimated to be caused by a combination of one or several factors. Among these factors are;
- Mild endometriosis in women (presence of uterus-like tissue outside the uterus)
- Mild ovulation disorders
- Cervical factor (mucus production that causes the sperm not to reach the egg)
- This is when the sperm looks normal and is motile, but is incapable of fertilizing the egg.
- Modern life and environmental factors also contribute to infertility. Infertility is highly influenced by environmental conditions and a healthy diet.
- Air pollution
- Water pollution
- Environmental pollution
- Difficult access to genetically healthy foods
- Hormone and GMO foods
- Exposure to toxic substances
- Medication use
- Smoking and alcohol use
- Working life and intense stress
- Conditions such as electronic devices (laptop use, etc.) trigger infertility.
Especially laptops cause male infertility because they cause the testicles of men to heat up.
Since reproductive and stress hormones in the brain are very close to each other, a stressful life, intense work stress, heavy traffic, extended working hours, financial problems, sedentary lifestyle and environmental factors increase the risk of infertility.
In addition, lack of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and proteins that should be taken into the body on a daily basis and irregular nutrition also increase stress and cause infertility.
How is Infertility of Unknown Cause Diagnosed?
If a natural pregnancy is not possible, the father-to-be will have a sperm test to analyze the quality of the sperm. This test is performed several times at regular intervals until a definitive result is obtained. When it is understood that the father-to-be does not have infertility, ovulation tests are performed for the mother-to-be. Hormone levels are measured on certain days of the woman’s menstrual cycle. Ultrasound follow-ups are also performed. Previous infectious diseases, menstrual pattern, and whether there is regular intercourse are investigated. If there are no problems with these, an X-ray is taken for the possibility that the tubes may be damaged or blocked. If there is no problem in the tubes, cervical problems are investigated. In some patients, female cervical fluid can disrupt the life process of sperms and prevent their mobility. After all these details are evaluated, cellular structure disorders may also cause infertility. If all tests are problem-free, couples are diagnosed with “infertility of unknown cause”.
How to Treat Infertility of Unknown Cause?
Treatment methods for infertility of unknown cause include waiting for natural pregnancy, laparoscopy, vaccination and in vitro fertilization. Which treatment will be applied is determined as a result of the tests and evaluations made by the doctor and the appropriate method is determined for the patient.
In the treatment of infertility of unknown cause, if the woman is young and has good ovarian reserve, the couple can expect pregnancy naturally for up to 1 year by changing their lifestyle. With this waiting period, the couple should quit smoking and alcohol consumption, if any, do regular sports and eat a healthy diet. If there is no pregnancy in this process, ovulation and vaccination treatment is applied for 3 months. If these treatments do not yield positive results, in vitro fertilization treatment is started.
If the woman is over 35 years of age or if her egg reserves are not in good condition, in vitro fertilization is used immediately. In cases of infertility of unknown cause, there is no specific treatment method, a treatment plan is determined according to the patient’s condition.
Unexplained Infertility and Sperm Analysis
Although there are some explanatory factors in recent studies, the cause of infertility in one out of every 7 couples cannot be identified. The important point here is the problem that arises in the evaluation of the man’s sperm analysis. Sperm analysis is not an easy laboratory technique and it is aimed to make the most accurate analysis while examining the sperm sample. It is often assumed that only the sperm count is sufficient for pregnancy, but this is incorrect. More important than sperm count are sperm movement and morphology, i.e. the shape of the sperm, which have a greater impact on the potential for fertility. The way to measure sperm morphology is to look at it directly under a microscope. Research has shown that when the same sperm sample is analyzed by different laboratories, different results are reported. Accurate sperm analysis will enable couples who want to become parents to start the necessary treatment without wasting time.