Female infertility explained

Female infertility means a woman can't get pregnant after trying for one year without using birth control. If she is over 35 years old, it means she can't get pregnant after six months of trying. It can also mean she has trouble staying pregnant.

There can be many reasons why someone might have trouble getting pregnant. Some common reasons are:

• Problems with ovulation (when the egg is released).
• Tubes (called fallopian tubes) that are blocked or damaged.
• A condition called endometriosis.
• Problems with the uterus (where the baby grows).
• Getting older can also make it harder to get pregnant.

Things like stress, what you eat, and smoking can also make it harder to have a baby.

If you need help, think about using tools like picture books or simple videos to learn more. Talking to a doctor can also help.

Doctors find out what is wrong by looking at your health history, checking your body, and doing blood tests to see hormone levels. They might also use a machine called an ultrasound to look inside the body. Another test called HSG helps doctors look at the tubes in a woman's body where babies grow.

Using tools like pictures and simple charts can help you understand these tests better. Always ask your doctor to explain things in a way that makes sense to you if you're unsure.

Yes, there are things you can do to help with having a baby:

• Stay at a healthy weight.
• Eat good and balanced meals.
• Don't smoke.
• Don't drink too much alcohol.
• Try to keep stress low.

These can all help you have a baby.

You can use things like reminder apps to keep track of these habits or talk to a doctor for more help.

Treatments can be different based on the problem. They can include:

• Medicine to help make eggs.
• Surgery to fix body problems.
• Special help to have a baby, like IVF, where a baby is made outside the body.

Some tools and techniques that might help are:

• Using simple words to talk about treatments.
• Using pictures to explain what happens.
• Being patient and answering questions.

IVF means In Vitro Fertilisation. In IVF, doctors take eggs from a woman's body. They mix the eggs with sperm in a special lab. This makes a tiny baby start to grow, called an embryo. Then they put the embryo back into the woman's tummy.

If you find this difficult to understand, you can ask someone to help explain it. You can also use pictures or videos to see how IVF works.

Yes, having babies can be harder as you get older. After age 35, it's especially harder because there are fewer and not as good eggs.

How well IVF works depends on a woman's age and other things. In the UK, if a woman is under 35, IVF works about 29 times out of 100. If a woman is over 44, IVF works about 2 times out of 100.

To help understand these numbers, you can:

• Use pictures or charts to see the difference.
• Ask a doctor to explain what the numbers mean for you.
• Talk to someone who knows about IVF.

Being stressed for a long time can make it harder to have a baby. Stress can change your body's hormones and how often you release eggs. But stress is usually not the only reason someone can't have a baby.

No, problems having babies can be because of men or women. In about one out of three times, it is because of women; one out of three times because of men; and the last one out of three times, it is because of both or for reasons we don’t know.

If reading this is hard, you can use tools like text-to-speech to hear it read aloud. Drawing pictures or using finger-counting can also help understand numbers better.

Hormones are special chemicals in the body. They help control the menstrual cycle and when a woman can have a baby. If there is too much or too little of these hormones, it can be harder to have a baby.

Some important hormones are called FSH, LH, oestrogen, and progesterone. These help with having babies.

For help with reading, you can find stories with pictures, or ask someone to read with you.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, or PCOS, is a health problem that affects how a woman's ovaries work.

Women with PCOS have:

- Periods that do not come regularly.

- Too much of a hormone called androgen. This can cause extra hair on the body and acne.

- Ovaries that have many small cysts (fluid-filled shapes).

PCOS can make it hard for a woman to have a baby because it affects when her body releases an egg. This is called ovulation.

Helpful tools: Reading aloud can be helpful. You can also use a highlighter to mark important parts. Controlling text size is useful too.

If a woman is under 35 years old and can't have a baby after trying for one year, she should see a special doctor. If she is over 35 years old, she should see a doctor after trying for six months. It's also good to see a doctor if there are health problems that might make it hard to have a baby.

There are some natural ways that might help, like taking vitamins, using small needles called acupuncture, trying special plants, or changing how you live. But it's really important to talk to a doctor before trying any of these things.

Yes, endometriosis can make it hard to have a baby. It can cause scars and sticky tissue that block the tubes that carry eggs. This means eggs can’t get through and it might stop a baby from growing.

Tips to help:

• Talk to a doctor. They can explain more.
• Use simple diagrams to understand better.
• Watch videos that explain endometriosis to learn more.