|
|
Women pursuing a career often have a hard time balancing their biological urge to have a baby and the demands of their professional career. Unfortunately, Indian companies still do not give a high priority to family building, and many bosses frown on women employees who are trying to get pregnant, because they are concerned that this will cause them to spend more energy on their family, and detract from their ability to perform their job efficiently. For a minority, putting off getting pregnant means that their fertility declines as they age, and they often regret their earlier decision to postpone childbearing. Professionals often have a harder time coming to terms with their infertility, because this is usually the first time they are forced to confront their own biological frailty and limitations.
While there can be no simple answer to this question, remember that a woman's fertility is maximal between the ages of 20 and 30. Beyond the age of 30, fertility starts to decline; and this drop is quite sharp after the age of 35; and precipitate after the age of 38. From a purely biological point of view, nature has designed women's bodies so that they have babies between the ages of 20 and 35. However, the right time to have a baby is a very personal and individual decision, which each couple needs to make for themselves. Public anxiety over infertility is fueled by countless magazine articles warning couples not to wait too long to start a family. As a result we now see many patients who are "pre-infertile" who assume they'll have trouble conceiving even before difficulties actually arise just because they are more than 30 years old!
Has the fertility of couples declined in modern times? Possibly. The reasons for this include:
The good news is that there is definitely an increasing awareness about infertility in society today. It is no longer a taboo topic, and couples, supported by their families, are much more willing to seek medical assistance.
Most couples consult their family physician who will refer them to an obstetrician - gynecologist when infertility is a concern. This first visit should include both husband and wife. The doctor will usually outline the possible causes of infertility, and provide an evaluation plan. The first step should be to achieve an accurate diagnosis to try to find out why pregnancy isn't occurring. Once a diagnosis has been determined, the couple and physician should talk again about a treatment plan. For difficult problems, referral to an infertility specialist may be suggested. Some studies show that it may actually be more cost - effective for couple to seek treatment by an infertility specialist right at the outset. This may be because an infertility specialist can design and implement a treatment plan more efficiently than a general gynecologist.
© Dr. Aniruddha Malpani and Dr. Anjali Malpani www.drmalpani.com
Credits: How to Have a Baby: Overcoming Infertility
