“Motherhood is a beautiful journey; not all are lucky enough to have one.” this quote throws light on the life of women who have the dream of being mothers. Longing for a child is not only a wonderful dream but a lifelong journey, that leads to happiness and completeness in its form. It is that crucial phase of life where, at one time, women consider herself as incomplete even if she has everything around. Motherhood is the divine blessing; a woman can dream off. Unfortunately, not all are that lucky enough to chase this dream happily, whereas they have to wait for the right time to come.
The primary causes related to childless couples or couples with fertility issues are directly or indirectly having struggles to be pregnant or to conceive. Some problems and reasons are causing an interruption in pregnancy. Most importantly, environmental factors play a very significant role in this process. The lifestyles of people are changing gradually. Few couples choose to live childfree intentionally, but others may have other health issues or underlying causes due to which they are unable to conceive. Thus sometimes being without a child is not being childless but childfree and others come in the category of couples seeking medical advice and trying their best to have a child.
According to Dr Malsand, the right age to have a baby is between the 20s and the 30s. The ideal age is considered taken into the factors related to women’s health, her menstrual cycles, and other social issues. But the sole decision lies in the hands of the expecting mothers. Since it’s rightly said that after 35s and 40s women can face lots of health issues in expecting a child, but many conceive without any health barriers.
[Also, read How to Stay Cool and Fit Even During Pregnancy in India]
Infertility refers to the inability of women to have a baby. Problems related to lack of conception include miscarriages also. Pregnancy carries various factors related to women’s age, hormones, lifestyles, health issues like STDs, PCOs, blockage of Fallopian tubes, sexual problems, obesity or being overweight, irregular periods, etc.
The significant symptoms of infertility are not getting pregnant despite having many trials from the past few months or a year without protection. Other symptoms include irregular menstrual cycle or absent cycle, low sexual drive, having multiple miscarriages or abortions, and other health-related issues; this infertility can be both in males or females and females are not only the sole cause of this. Sometimes the problem lies in males’ sperm counts or any other family history, and on the other side, both males and females can have issues at the same time.
While facing several issues and hardships related to infertility and pregnancy, there is the availability of blood tests that can help in checking the levels of fertility in the females. The FSH blood test that is the Follicle Stimulating Hormones test is used to detect the underlying issues. Higher is FSH, and the lower is fertility. The lower is the FSH, and the higher is the fertility. It can be done on the third day of the menstrual cycle every month.
Hormones play a vital role in the whole pregnancy as well as the fertility process.
Imaging pelvic ultrasounds and tests are done. They are also known as sonograms to examine any complications that are not seen in routine ultrasounds.
Many other tests, like ovulation testing, hormones testing, Hysterosalpingography (to know the blockage of Fallopian tubes), ovarian reserve testing, etc. are used to check the detailed complications.
There are various drugs and medications available to cure the fundamental issue of infertility. These medicines and treatments should be done only under the supervision of Gynaecologists and infertility specialists. They can provide many supplements and diets related to boosting up of folic acid that is very beneficial in fertility boosting.
Apart from not conceiving naturally, there are several other ways to have a baby where the couples can have a chance to relive their dreams of happiness.
These are costly ways with no 100% assurance of success. Still, these artificial methods are gaining popularity in the past few years.; this the ray of hope for those who have found all the doors of positivity closed for them. Still, many are those who are getting positive results from these treatments, but many can’t afford their hefty expenses in lakhs and their treatment costs.
It’s true that infertility is stressful and brings along many social as well as psychological changes in the life of the couples planning for pregnancy. Many people are even obsessed with the thought of pregnancy that sometimes leads to their state of depression and acceptance. There are lots of social boundation related to the childless couples who have a sort of stigma attached to them and society looks with questioning eyes at them; this “childless” stigma creates a sense of restlessness and mental disturbances in them. They are more anxious and dissatisfied. Society sometimes blames only women for being the sole responsibility for not being able to conceive. Still, there are large sections of people who are not ready to accept male infertility issues also. Few are even thrown out of the house from their in-laws, and others are given divorce on this futile base.
“Don’t Let The Hope Of Motherhood Shatter Away With A Small Failure.”
To conclude with this quote, there should be a need to change the outlook towards the term Infertility. There may be a delay, but this is not the end of hope. Societal attitudes should be changed, and women should not be blamed for this preferably should be supported and accepted. They need love and care and not the pessimistic attitude of nothingness. It should not be a trauma; rather, it should be a feeling of positivity and new hope.