After a female reaches 30 years of age not only does her chances of reproduction decrease but other risks increase. Waiting two years while trying to conceive may not be a problem for those couple in their 20's since time is usually still on their side but the opposite may be true as a woman enters her early and mid 30's. If you are in your 30's and have been trying to conceive for more than 1 year without success then you should consider professional help.

Some important medical questions need to be answered when trying to find out why pregnancy does not occur. There are some medical conditions that on the surface may appear to have no relevance to getting pregnant because of their lack of symptoms, there site on the body, or since a lot of time has passed since the medical problem was resolved. A history of: STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), an abdominal operation (such as appendectomy), removal of a uterine myoma, an endometriosis operation, peritonitis (general infection in the abdomen), etc... can lead to infertility problems such as adhesion around the ovaries and fallopian tubes and should be addressed as soon as possible. A laparoscopic exam is one method of resolving some of these questions and would start you on the right path to treatment and pregnancy.

Has your period always been irregular? Have you noticed unusual changes in your period recently? Do you participate in highly competitive sports like marathon running? Do you find that you try to maintain or lose weight through extreme dieting? (Irregular menstruation resulting from extreme dieting is on the rise and it should be noted that it is very difficult and sometimes impossible for the reproductive system to return to normal function following it.) These are some situations where ovulation may not be taking place and why you might want to seek medical advice.

Those who choose to wait later in life to have children are on the increase. A number of risks increase when a woman waits until later in life to have a child including: a decline in ovarian function, an increased chance of uterine myoma occurrence, and the possibility of endometriosis. If you have experienced any of these condition then you should first have a Basal Body Temperature check followed by a Hysterosalpingography exam as soon as practical. If you are in your late 30's or older, the sooner you seek professional advice the better.

An extremely low or zero count of sperm can occur in severe cases of male infertility. One reason for this occurs when the testicles are too small, or too soft. Testicles should be about the size of a ping-pong ball and have a certain degree of hardness to them. If you have undersized or soft testicles, you should seek out medical advice to see if this is the cause of infertility and what your options are.

Unfortunately, one of the causes of infertility is when a couple is unable to have effective sexual intercourse. In some cases the husband suffers from impotence, or the inability to ejaculate, or in the case of the female she may find the act too painful and discourage or even refuse regular intercourse. Solutions to these and other such problems range from verbal counseling, recommendations of dietary changes, medications, or even minor medical procedures. In such cases couples should seek medical help or counseling to help find the solution that best leads them to a healthy sex life. Judging from the experience we have gained at St Mother hospital, the most frequent causes leading to unsuccessful intercourse are not physical but are psychological. One of the biggest reasons is due to insecurity about the performing the act. In this case counseling over time may solve the problem but if it does not or if pregnancy is desired in the short term then Intra Uterine Insemination could be considered. After the first birth, couples with this condition often return to having a normal sex life leading to further pregnancies spontaneously without any fertility treatment being required.