Male and Female Sterility and Infertility
When a man and/or a woman are unable to contribute to conception irreversibly, it is referred to as sterility; when we talk about infertility, we mean the inability of a couple to conceive in the absence of irreversible sterility factors.
Often, even in the medical field, the two terms are confused.
The International Council on Infertility Information Dissemination (INCIID) defines a sterile couple as one that does not achieve conception after one year of attempts (reduced to 6 months for a woman over thirty-seven).
Male and female sterility can be defined as primary when referring to individuals who have never been able to conceive, while secondary sterility refers to the inability to conceive a second or further child after having conceived and/or carried a normal pregnancy to term.
Female fertility peaks around 23 years, gradually decreasing until 30, then rapidly declining from 30 to 35, and progressively dropping until 45.
According to the Italian National Institute of Health, in a report on Medically Assisted Procreation from April 2017, the following infertility factors are identified:
From a medical standpoint (in order of frequency), female sterility/infertility can be distinguished into the following forms:
Male sterility is discussed when the semen is unable to fertilize the ovum; it can be subdivided into three categories:
The main examination to perform is the semen analysis.
This analysis mainly includes the sperm count, the measurement of their motility, and their morphology under the microscope.
A production of few sperm is called oligospermia, while the absence of sperm is referred to as azoospermia.
A quantitatively sufficient production but with poor motility is called asthenozoospermia.
A production of sperm with morphological characteristics below normal is called teratozoospermia.
Impotentia generandi refers to the inability to procreate while being able to have normal sexual intercourse, while impotentia coeundi refers to the inability to complete the act of intercourse.
In this case, the man is still capable of generating through assisted reproductive techniques.
The staff at CMR is here to support you through the activation of an ONLINE CONSULTATION desk, where they will answer all your questions to establish a first approach and begin an important journey together.