Hello from my computer screen to yours!
I'm a twenty-something woman, working and living in beautiful Brisbane. I'm married to a gorgeous man and the love of my life 'hubby'. We've been married for just over 18 months and recently decided that we'd like to start our family. Little did we know that this would be any more difficult than stopping contraception, taking some prenatal vitamins and start "trying". But, when trying turned into nothing, and nothing turned into months of nothing, we thought we better go get checked out.
I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, which basically means my body doesn't release an egg when it's supposed to. It is one of the easier to treat causes of infertility, but nonetheless we're going to need help to make our babies.
Statistics can be boring, that is until when you become one. I did a little research and this is what I can tell you about infertility in Australia, and trust me, I was surprised!
- One in six couples is infertile. In 40 per cent of cases the problem rests with the male, in 40 per cent with the female, ten per cent with both partners, and in a further ten per cent of cases, the cause is unknown.
- Fertility problems strike one in three women over 35.
- One in 25 males has a low sperm count and one in 35 is sterile.
- For healthy couples in their twenties having regular unprotected sex, the chance of becoming pregnant each month is 25 per cent.
- The chance of conceiving in an IVF cycle is on average around 20 per cent (but varies due to individual circumstances).
- More than one per cent of births in Australia involve the use of assisted reproductive technologies.
Crazy stuff right?! Well to put that in a more personal perspective, out of ten of my female friends who have recently had babies, five have required fertility treatments. It boggles my brain to think of it like that!
So, I just thought if I can share what I know, and will learn, as we too travel down this road infertility and baby-lust, maybe it'd help remove some of the stigma and surprise about the challenges of baby making.
Here's a few links that I found helpful:
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