• Pelvic exam: Pelvic examination performed to check for structural concerns or signs of disease.

• Blood test: A blood test to check hormone levels and detect hormonal imbalances affecting ovulation.

• Transvaginal ultrasound: Is performed by inserting an ultrasound wand into female reproductive organ to check the reproductive system.

• Hysteroscopy: Is performed by inserting a thin, lighted tube called a hysteroscope into your female reproductive organ to examine the uterus.

• Saline sonohysterogram (SIS): Here, the uterus is filled with saline, and transvaginal ultrasound is conducted.

• Sono hysterosalpingogram (HSG): Here, the fallopian tube is filled with saline and air bubbles to check for tubal blockages.

• X-ray hysterosalpingogram (HSG): Here, X-rays are used to track the movement of an injectable dye through the fallopian tubes to identify any blockages.

• Laparoscopy: Here a laparoscope with a camera is inserted into a small abdominal incision to help identify conditions such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and scar tissue.

Ways to cure infertility\nInfertility is a medical condition when a woman is unable to conceive or get pregnant even after six months or one year of regular, unprotected intercourse. \nSome physical symptoms shown in women include\n• Irregular periods or no menstrual cycles.\n• Severe abdominal pain, dysmenorrhoea, and ultrasound findings detecting endometriosis.\n• Past or current medical history of pelvic inflammatory disease.\n• Ultrasound examination is suggestive of known or suspected tubal disease.\n• Medical history of more than two miscarriages.\n• Known genetic or acquired conditions increasing chances of the reduced ovarian reserve include factors namely chemotherapy and radiation.\nFor Men\n• Medical history of testicular trauma\n• Undergone bilateral hernia surgery\n• Use of chemotherapy in the past.\n• Medical history of infertility determined with another partner.\n• Erectile dysfunction or Ejaculation difficulties.\nInfertility causes\nSome infertility causes could affect just one partner or could also affect both partners, they are. \n• Age factor, women in their late 30s or 40s, and if the man's age is closer to 50, infertility affects them.\n• Have eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and nervosa.\n• Smoking, using tobacco products, and excessive consumption of alcohol.\n• Substance abuse.\n• Environmental exposure to chemicals, toxins, such as lead and pesticides.\n• Over-exercise or sedentary lifestyle.\n• Underweight, overweight, or obese.\n• Exposure to radiation therapy or chemotherapy.\n• Sexually transmitted infections or diseases (STIs/STDs).\n• Hormonal abnormalities such as disruptions in hormone production within the brain's hormone-regulating centres, namely the hypothalamus or pituitary gland\n• Chronic health conditions and diseases.\nThe following contribute to female infertility factors:\n• Endometriosis.\n• Structural abnormalities of the reproductive organs.\n• Autoimmune disorders such as celiac disease or lupus.\n• Kidney disease.\n• Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).\n• Hypothalamic and pituitary gland disorders.\n• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).\n• Primary ovarian insufficiency or poor egg quality.\n• Sickle cell anemia.\n• Uterine fibroids or uterine polyps.\n• Hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism.\n• Prior surgical sterilization.\n• Genetic or chromosomal disorders.\n• Sexual dysfunction.\n• Surgical or congenital absence of your ovaries.\n• Irregular or no menstrual periods.\nThe following contribute to male infertility factors:\nThe most common male infertility causes are related to the shape, movement (motility), or amount (low sperm count) of sperm.\nOther causes of male infertility include:\n• Enlarged veins or varicocele in the scrotum.\n• Genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis or chromosomal disorders.\n• Tight clothing, frequent use of hot tubs, and holding laptops or heating pads on or near your testes, cause high heat exposure to your testicles.\n• Scrotum or testicle injury.\n• Low testosterone level or hypogonadism.\n• Misuse of anabolic steroids.\n• Erectile dysfunction (ED), premature ejaculation, or retrograde ejaculation.\n• Undescended testicles.\n• Previous history of regular chemotherapy or radiation therapy.\n• Surgical or congenital absence of testes.\n• Prior surgical sterilization or vasectomy.\nTests and diagnosis to determine female infertility\nThe below-mentioned tests can help diagnose or rule out infertility:\n• Pelvic exam: Pelvic examination performed to check for structural concerns or signs of disease.\n• Blood test: A blood test to check hormone levels and detect hormonal imbalances affecting ovulation.\n• Transvaginal ultrasound: Is performed by inserting an ultrasound wand into female reproductive organ to check the reproductive system.\n• Hysteroscopy: Is performed by inserting a thin, lighted tube called a hysteroscope into your female reproductive organ to examine the uterus.\n• Saline sonohysterogram (SIS): Here, the uterus is filled with saline, and transvaginal ultrasound is conducted.\n• Sono hysterosalpingogram (HSG): Here, the fallopian tube is filled with saline and air bubbles to check for tubal blockages.\n• X-ray hysterosalpingogram (HSG): Here, X-rays are used to track the movement of an injectable dye through the fallopian tubes to identify any blockages.\n• Laparoscopy: Here a laparoscope with a camera is inserted into a small abdominal incision to help identify conditions such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and scar tissue.\nTests and diagnosis to determine male infertility \nThe following tests can help diagnose or rule out infertility concerns:\n• Semen analysis: A test is done to check for low sperm count and poor sperm mobility. \n• Blood test: The test is done to check thyroid and other hormone levels. A genetic blood test is done to check chromosomal abnormalities.\n• Scrotal ultrasound: Scrotum ultrasound helps identify varicoceles or other testicular concerns.\nInfertility treatment for women\nLifestyle modification: Includes weight gain or weight loss. Stop smoking, consumption of alcohol, and/or use of drugs, and improve health conditions by eating healthy and nutritious food. Keeping the body and mind healthy and active and performing regular exercise can also improve your chance of pregnancy.\n• Medications: Taking fertility medications stimulates the ovaries to ovulate more eggs, thereby increasing the chance of conception.\n• Surgery: Surgery could be suggested to open blocked fallopian tubes and remove polyps, fibroids, or scar tissue.\nSome suggestions to improve the chances of conceiving and curing infertility include:\nTrack ovulation cycles through basal body temperature using a fertility tracking app to note the texture of your cervical mucus.\nPurchase a home ovulation kit at the pharmacy or online to help predict ovulation.\nInfertility treatment for men\n• Medications: Medications taken can increase testosterone or other hormone levels. Drugs administered for erectile dysfunction help you maintain an erection during intercourse.\n• Surgery: Surgery performed opens blockages in the tubes that carry sperm or repair structural problems. Varicocele surgery is performed to make sperm healthier, thus improving the chances of conception.\nWhat are fertility treatments?\nART is any fertility treatment to increase pregnancy rates. Medications are taken to stimulate ovulation before the physician could proceed with any one of the below options:\n• In vitro fertilization (IVF): The IVF procedure is a fertility treatment method where a woman’s eggs are extracted or retrieved using a needle.  Egg collection is a simple, painless procedure that usually lasts only half an hour and is combined with sperm or fertilized outside the body in a laboratory dish. The embryos are monitored and allowed to develop in the laboratory for a few days, and depending on various factors, one or more embryos may be placed back into the woman's uterus when ready through a thin catheter.  If the embryo is successfully implanted in the uterine lining, there are high chances of pregnancy to occur.\n• Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI): In this IVF procedure, an embryologist injects a single sperm directly into each egg. Later one to three of the embryos are transferred into your uterus.\n• Intrauterine insemination (IUI):  In IUI, also referred to as artificial insemination, instead of retrieving a woman's eggs, the male partner’s sperm is washed and then transferred into the uterus for fertilization. Typically, stimulated with medications, IUI can be scheduled with a woman's natural ovulatory cycle when the natural ovulatory pattern is askew. The sperm will travel through the cervix and up to the fallopian tubes naturally.\n• Assisted hatching: This process involves opening the outer layer of an embryo to facilitate implantation into the lining of your uterus.\nIn the journey toward finding a cure for infertility, patients must seek timely medical advice from fertility specialists and undergo the necessary tests.  The evaluation findings will help determine the best course of treatment. \n