You had it all planned out – career decisions, marriage, building your love nest, and perhaps, the most exciting of it all – starting a family. But when it comes to conceiving, sometimes your body decides not to follow your plan.
In fact, infertility is an increasingly common problem currently affecting between 10 and 15% of all couples. The good news is – more often than not, you can treat fertility issues and the process is easier than you think.
To tell you more about fertility issues and treatment options, we bring to you a webinar on ‘Treat Fertility Issues with Simple Surgeries’ with mumpreneur Dawn Sim and Dr. Anupriya Agarwal, senior reproductive medicine specialist at Gleneagles Hospital, Singapore.
Learn more about the various causes of infertility, their diagnoses and how you can treat them. Tune in to our informative webinar wherein our speakers talk about the ways to treat fertility issues with simple surgeries.
Infertility
The concept of infertility is wide and varied and people have differing views of when to see a specialist about their fertility issues.
Dr. Agarwal explains that infertility is a growing problem especially in developed countries where stress levels are higher, and people want to travel and enjoy life longer before starting a family. Consequently, advancing age has become the main cause of infertility.
Dr. Agarwal defines infertility as the inability to conceive after trying for a year. However, she emphasises that women who are above 35, or who have menstrual problems such as irregular, extremely heavy, or painful periods are more likely to have a medical condition contributing to difficulty in conception.
In such cases, there is no harm in seeing a specialist sooner. Delaying treatment can be detrimental and could cause it to more invasive as opposed to simple treatments that could have been done at an earlier stage.
Our speakers also address:
- The process of conception
- Causes of infertility
- Endometriosis: the most common fertility issue affecting 1 in 4 women; a condition where the endometrial tissue is found outside the womb and symptoms can range from mild to so severe that it affects quality daily life, relationships and ultimately, fertility
- Fibroids: also very common and affect 1 in 5 women; most of the time it is asymptomatic but can cause heavy menstrual bleeding and cramps, bleeding between periods and infertility
- Polyps: growths that occur in the inner lining of the uterus and can cause problems with periods and fertility
- Asherman’s Syndrome: scar tissue or adhesions formed in the uterus due to previous uterine surgery; symptoms are light or no periods with pain occurring at the time of period but absence of bleeding
- How infertility is diagnosed
- Looks into detailed medical history, history of menstrual cycles & previous pregnancies or miscarriages
- Examination – internal and external
- Tests & procedures – blood tests, ultrasound, HSG (tube test to check for blockage in the fallopian tubes), hysteroscopy and in rare cases, MRI
- How to treat infertility with simple surgeries
As Dr. Agarwal mentioned earlier, it is important to consult a specialist if you are more susceptible to infertility. The treatment isn’t necessarily as daunting or complicated as you might imagine it to be.
Dawn shares her own experience with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). She was put on a course of hormonal medication and the problem was resolved without surgery. She went on to conceive her four girls naturally.
If surgery is needed, most of the time, you can treat fertility issues with simple surgeries. In the case of endometriosis, surgery is not essential for every patient, it is decided on a case-by-case basis. Fibroids and polyps can easily be treated with a 15 minute procedure that is done as an outpatient day surgery.
Dr. Agarwal cautions that surgery for ovarian endo cysts has been shown to permanently reduce ovarian reserve and thus special skills are needed to reduce ovarian damage or reoccurrence. It is best for infertility procedures to be carried out by a fertility specialist as they try to optimise all contributions to your fertility.
She concludes by saying that when it comes to your fertility, if you are in doubt, don’t suffer in silence thinking that things will resolve on their own. An experienced gynaecologist can easily diagnose the problem!
The session concluded with a question-and-answer session about all your questions on how to treat fertility issues.
Watch the webinar recording here:
Q&As
In the interest of time, Dr. Agarwal took some questions offline. Here are the answers to the questions not featured in the webinar.
1. Is it true that IVF is is a very painful process?
IVF is emotional and stressful. Physically it involves injections – sometimes up to 3 a day for at least 10 days. Otherwise, it is not very painful.
2. Is infertility linked to genetics?
Some conditions like endometriosis or PCOS may be, but not all are.
3. For women with irregular period, does it mean their fertility is lower as compared to women with regular menses?
Yes, because they do not ovulate regularly.
4. What are the reasons behind conditions such as PCOS and PCOD becoming more common these days?
Diet and obesity are contributing factors.
5. Does coffee/caffeine affect fertility?
1-2 cups per day will be fine.
6. Is endometriosis more common among older women?
Yes, it increases with age.
7. I have not been having my period for almost a year prior to conceiving in 2020. I conceived naturally though. I’m not sure if this is a sign of possible infertility in future. Or is this a sign of menopause on the way? I’m 36 this year.
Please get a check done with a fertility specialist.
8. Is having extremely heavy periods a possible sign of endometriosis?
Yes, heavy painful periods could be because of endometriosis or fibroids.
9. If endometriosis continues to reoccur, will I need surgery?
It isn’t always the case. A check needs to be done to determine if the condition can be managed medically.
10. Will endometriosis effect conceiving again in the future?
Yes, endometriosis can affect future fertility.
11. Is it true that if you’re only left with only one ovary, it can lead to infertility?
Not entirely true as most women with only one ovary can get pregnant.
12. Does the endometriosis layer get thicker as we age?
With increasing age, the endometriosis will become more severe in most patients.
13. I’m 40 and am planning to have a second child but find it hard to conceive. What is a common cause for this?
Increasing age reduces the quality and quantity of eggs in the ovaries. This is the most common cause of reduced fertility in women above the age of 40.
14. Do you have any recommendations of good habits that we can adopt to take care of our vaginal health?
The vagina is a self-cleaning organ. Do not use any harsh douches or soaps to clean. Plain water is best. Taking probiotics like yoghurt will help as well.
15. The doctor says I had PCOS. However, my cycle is normal, and I conceived naturally the first time although it took me six years. Will this affect my future fertility?
Try to conceive soon as you could have mild PCOS.
16. What is a ‘light’ period?
Less than two pads per day.
17. Can fertility problems such as endometriosis or fibroids cause or increase the chance of miscarriage?
Fibroids can increase the risk of miscarriage but other conditions such as endometriosis, polyps or Asherman’s Syndrome do not.
18. I am 31 and I had miscarriage and performed a D&C. 1.5 years later, my periods are scanty. HSG found a hairline adhesion in the right side of uterus, so to rule out, a hysteroscopy was performed and everything normal with no adhesion found. However, I am still unable to conceive. What should I do next?
You would need to evaluate the other causes of infertility.
19. Is there any common method to control fibroid growth in the 3rd trimester to prevent Intrauterine Growth Retardation (IUGR)?
The fibroids will usually grow in pregnancy and there is nothing we can do to prevent it.
We hope that you will find answers to your pressing questions about how to treat fertility issues in this comprehensive webinar. Remember, never suffer in silence. When in doubt, consult a specialist and get the treatment you need!
