The reality of fertility and pregnancy

Despite scientific advances and increased access to information, many fertility myths still persist.

Pregnancy is the longed-for desire of many couples. Some see it as a real obstacle course; others see it as a real drama, due to the impossibility of achieving it. Getting pregnant is not always an easy task; in fact, the chances of getting pregnant during a woman's most fertile years, between 23 and 25, is 35 per cent, which shows that it is usually very difficult to conceive, not the other way around.

The rate of infertility in Spain is 17% of the population. Around 800,000 couples have problems in achieving pregnancy. Around 3% of babies are born through assisted reproduction, which shows the importance of these techniques.

The fertility is the physiological capacity of living beings to reproduce. Fertility should not be confused with fecundity. Fertility refers to children born and fertility refers to the ability to have children. One can be fertile and not have had any children, or one can have had children (be fertile) and yet no longer be fertile.

The treatments of fertility have increased in recent years. In the case of Spain, around 15% of couples of childbearing age have problems having children. In 2014, around 25,000 babies were born in our country thanks to assisted reproduction techniques. There are several reasons for this: genetic, environmental factors (such as exposure to pollution and biochemical disruptors, etc.), and social (such as the delay in the age at which women have their first child, the lack of work-life balance, etc.).

It is important to know which of these beliefs about fertility and reproduction are false. In this way, we can avoid spreading these rumours and doing unnecessary things that we think are good for achieving pregnancy. Among the problems that these misunderstandings can cause when seeking a pregnancy, we highlight the following points;

• One of the most common misconceptions is that infertility is primarily a female problem. Today we know that the causes of infertility are due to both men and women. Specifically, 55% of infertility cases are due to female factors and the remaining 45% are male. It is common for many couples to have both factors at the same time.

• What is true is that their male fertility is longer-lived than their female fertility, but that does not mean that they are always fertile. Exposure to environmental factors and even lifestyle have a serious impact on male fertility.

• Getting pregnant naturally is not that easy. The chances of a natural pregnancy are approximately 20%. In fact, factors such as age make it more complicated as the years go by.

• Posture has no influence on the likelihood of pregnancy. Sexual positions have no effect on the likelihood of pregnancy. fertility.

• A woman's age is not the only factor influencing her fertility. It is true that a woman's age is a factor that has a great impact on female fertility, but it is not the only one. There are multiple causes that may be impeding women's fertility, as well as men's. In both cases, not only in women, but also in men. In both cases, and not only in women, fertility decreases sharply after the age of 35, both in terms of sperm quality and the number of oocytes.

• While it is true that stress affects fertility and can reduce a woman's chances of becoming pregnant, it is false that infertility is due to a psychological cause... Infertility is a medical problem that relaxation and/or psychological help alone does not solve. It is false that infertility is due to a psychological cause... Infertility is a medical problem that relaxation and/or psychological help alone will not solve. Stress and other emotions are the result of infertility and not its cause.

• Diet and healthy habits are important during pregnancy, but they do not influence fertility. We now know that a good diet together with vitamin supplements such as folic acid, zinc or iodine can increase a woman's chances of becoming pregnant. Excess weight also has an influence on fertility as it can (not always) lead to hormonal problems that influence reproduction.

• Another factor that plays an important role is the tobacco, A woman who smokes halves her chance of pregnancy.

After twelve months of unprotected sex without getting pregnant, you should consult an infertility specialist. At this point, it is advisable for both partners to undergo the relevant tests and analyses to rule out any problem or to diagnose the problem that may be causing the couple's failure to achieve pregnancy. The diagnostic possibilities for the detection of infertility include hormone analysis test, imaging tests such as ultrasound scans, and genetic analysis.

Reproductive Medicine, Assisted Reproduction, and in our case Assisted Reproduction, despite being more and more normalised and becoming more and more common, due to factors such as the delay in the age of motherhood, continues to be a relatively young branch of science and research.

It is worth remembering that the World Health Organisation defined infertility in 2009 as a disease and that, according to data published by the Organisation itself, around 50 million people worldwide suffer from infertility problems.