ByPuja Gupta
December 15, 2020 (IANSlife) Unexplained infertility refers to those cases of infertility in which the causes remain unknown. Infertility is a condition marked by the inability to conceive a child even after a year of trying. This can be due to a variety of reasons, depending upon which the treatment plan is tailored, points out Dr. Shweta Goswami, Associate Director- Fertility, Cloudnine Group of Hospitals.
However, in some cases, it is not possible to determine the exact cause, she tells IANSlife. “This means that the basic tests of infertility do not show any specific tests that can be held accountable for your inability to start your journey towards parenthood. You will be surprised to know that 1 in 10 cases of infertility is that of unexplained infertility. Though the reason is not known, it does not mean that the problem has to be neglected or has no solution. In fact, in around 50 per cent of the cases, the problem resolves on its own within a year of the diagnosis and the couple is able to conceive naturally. However, in some cases, the problem might even aggravate. This makes it important to seek immediate medical intervention and go for proper screening.
Usually, women are recommended to go for fertility tests like ultrasound to check whether the ovaries and uterus are fine and tubal potency tests like sonosalpingography (SSG) and hysterosalpingography (HSG) to detect any abnormalities or blockage in the fallopian tubes. Males, on the other hand, are recommended to go for procedures like semen analysis to evaluate the quality of their sperm. Various factors like the age of both the partners and how long they have been trying to have a baby also contribute to this. However, in the case of unexplained infertility, all the tests reports are normal. Though the abnormalities are present, they remain undetected,” she says.
Women above 30 years of age, who haven’t been pregnant before and are trying to conceive for more than three years unsuccessfully are more likely to be detected with unexplained infertility.
Dr Goswami says unexplained infertility is majorly a result of any of the following:
How can you overcome the problem?
She suggests: “Since the exact cause is unknown, it can be a little difficult to deal with unexplained infertility. A series of tests and screenings may be recommended to evaluate and assess all the known factors and rule out the possibility of the same. Medications and therapies will be started to see if there are any improvements.
Adding: “However, if these fail to give any significant results, ART or assisted reproductive techniques like in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and intrauterine insemination (IUI) are always there to help you initiate your journey towards parenthood.”
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Puja Gupta can be contacted at puja.g@ians.in