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Difficulty Conceiving?
Optimize Your Fertility
Preserving Your Fertility
What is Infertility?
Where Do I Go From Here?
Resources
Understanding Your Fertility
Why it is important
Our bodies are incredible machines that have the ability to tell us when something is
wrong. But in order to recognize the warnings signs we must understand how our bodies
feel when everything is functioning normally. When you get a headache your body is
sending you a signal that it is off kilter. In order to treat this headache you can
take various forms of over the counter pain relievers, try alternative medicinal efforts
such as meditation/relaxation or simply ignore it. If you pay attention to the headache
and notice a pattern, it may help you prevent something more serious. It may even help
you recognize when you are under stress, and how that stress is adversely affecting
your health.
Your fertility is a key function of this machine. It is critical to understand your
fertility to help preserve it and to help ensure your good health. Understanding your
fertility may help to prevent infertility. It will also help you understand what is
happening as you are trying to conceive naturally, by helping you optimize your fertile
periods. Most importantly, understanding fertility for both men and women will help them
feel in control when they are faced with infertility.
The Female Reproductive System
The Female Reproductive System
The female reproductive system includes the following organs and glands
Ovaries
Produce female hormones: estrogen and progesterone
Produce one ripened egg (called ovum) each menstrual cycle
Each month one of the ovaries produces an egg, which develops in a small fluid-filled
sac called the follicle. When the egg is mature it is released from the ovary and passes
through one of the fallopian tubes.
Fallopian Tubes
Two trumpet shaped, flexible tubes connected to the uterus, they are designed with flared
projections (fimbriae) to catch the egg and move it into the tube.
Egg and sperm meet in the fallopian tubes and it is here that the egg becomes fertilized
and the resulting embryo is transferred to the uterus by cilia (small hairlike structures)
Uterus
Thick, muscular organ that is designed to support a growing fetus
Endometrium
Mucous membrane that lines the uterus and plays a key role in implantation of the embryo.
The endometrium responds to the hormone progesterone, produced by the body and must be thick
and spongy to receive the embryo. If there is not implantation the lining is shed with
a menstrual period.
Cervix
A ring of tissue at the top of the vagina designed to collect sperm (with a cervical
mucus), which are later released into the uterus.
Observing changes in your cervical mucus will help you determine signs of fertility
Vagina
Sperm enter the woman's body through the vagina which then leads to the cervix.
The Menstrual Cycle
The Menstrual Cycle
Understanding What Happens
Not every woman experiences a standard 28-day cycle. Some women may have longer or
shorter cycles and still be fertile.
Day 1:
The first day of your cycle is the first day of blood flow. Some women bleed for 3-6
days, others 2-3 days. It is not unusual to have some light spotting before the
menstrual period.
Days 2-14:
This is called the follicular phase. During this time, the endometrium starts to grow,
the follicles on the ovary become active, and the cervical mucous begins to thin.
Day 14:
Ovulation takes place midcycle. Rising estrogen levels trigger the release of LH (the
LH surge). The climbing level of LH causes the follicle to ovulate, releasing an
egg. The timing of ovulation is not precise; it may occur between days 12 and 14,
depending on the individual woman. That is why it is important to understand and chart
your cycle (record your basal body temperature and your LH surge on an ovulation test
kit).
Days 15-22:
After releasing the egg, the follicle transforms into the corpus luteum, and progesterone
is released, creating a lush uterine lining for implantation. This stage of the cycle
is called the luteal phase.
Days 23 to 24:
If there is no implantation, estrogen and progesterone levels fall.
Days 25 to 28:
The falling progesterone levels trigger the shedding of the endometrium.
Understanding Ovulation
The Egg
When a girl is born, she typically has between 1 and 2 million eggs in her ovaries
(primary oocytes.) She will begin to lose these eggs early in life leaving her only
300,000 to 500,000 by the age of puberty.
As the eggs are formed, thin layers of cells (granulose cells) grow around them. The
granulose cells and the oocyte are contained within a follicle. The follicle supports
the egg it encloses for 50 years or more, providing it with nourishment but preventing
it from maturing. The great majority of follicles and eggs never grow to maturity and
ovulation. Follicles begin to develop, but if conditions for continued growth are not
optimal, the eggs lose nourishment and die. The follicle cells then are absorbed back
into the ovary (atresia.) Atresia continues throughout a woman's life until all of the
follicles are gone and she enters menopause.
During the hours leading up to ovulation when the mature egg is released from the
dominant follicle, some important processes begin:
The production of the LH hormone (lutenizing hormone rises in the blood).
A few hours before ovulation, the primary oocyte undergoes a cell division process
(meiosis) which results in an egg that contains 23 chromosomes
The follicle cells surrounding the oocyte secrete mucous, forming a circular barrier
(the cumulus) around the oocyte. Beneath the cumulus is a glassy looking membrane the
zona pellucida. Sperm must be able to go through the cumulus and the zona pellucida of
the egg in order to fertilize it.
The egg is released and is picked up by the fimbriated ends of the fallopian tube.
Fertilization usually occurs in the fallopian tube 12-24 hours after ovulation.
Conception
An incredible confluence of events
The Woman
Must release a healthy, mature ovum, which must be picked up by a healthy, functional
fallopian tube
The Man
Must produce healthy sperm and deposit it in the vagina, near the cervical opening.
(once deposited, only about 10% of the sperm survive to penetrate the cervical mucous)
The Couple
Must have intercourse every other day around the time of ovulation, because sperm live
for only about 48 hours.
Fertilization
Sperm must make it through the cervix and through the uterus into the fallopian tube.
One healthy sperm must breach the egg's protective layers, including the cumulus layer
and the zona pellucida.
The Male Reproductive System
The male reproductive system includes the following organs and glands
Scrotum
Contains the testes, the sperm producing organs
The location of the scrotum, outside the body, behind the penis, help to maintain the
temperature, ensuring normal sperm production.
Testes
Oval glands located within the scrotum
Produce testosterone
Produce sperm cells
Leydig Cells
Produce testosterone
Sertoli Cells
Produce growth factors that nourish sperm.
Seminiferous Tubules
Store sperm for about 3 months
This is where sperm begin to mature
Epididymis
Long coiled tube that lies beside and behind the testes
Helps sperm mature fully (after the seminiferous tubules) and transports them to the
vas deferens
Sperm remain here for 2-12 days
Vas Deferens
Long tube with thick walls, it runs from the end of the epididymis upward into the pelvis
behind the bladder.
Seminal Vesicles
Contribute the seminal fluid and produce the sugar fructose, which the sperm use to fuel
their long journey
Prostate Gland
Contribute additional fluid and important enzymes that cause semen to liquefy after ejaculation
Cowper's Glands
Located beyond the prostate at the base of the penile shaft in the urethra
Adds a small amount of lubricant to the seminal fluid before ejaculation takes place
Penis
The penis allows the man to deposit the seminal fluid into the vagina
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