We Want a Baby But It’s Not Happening! What Should I Do?

When we decide to have a baby, we begin to dream. However, unsuccessful attempts may have disappointed you, upset you, and negatively impacted many aspects of your life.

After seeing multiple negative pregnancy test results, you may not know what path to take. You might even feel that you are not sharing the same emotions with your partner.

The difficulties in getting pregnant may lead you to anxiety, sadness, and stress. Your relationships with your partner and family could suffer, and concentrating on your work may become challenging. In short, if you want a baby but cannot conceive, this situation may be affecting all aspects of your life.

First of all, it’s important to know that these negative feelings are natural. The stress caused by difficulties in getting pregnant is a very real situation experienced by many women trying to conceive.

Research shows that women dealing with infertility have the same levels of anxiety and depression as those with cancer or heart disease.

What is Infertility?

Infertility is defined as the inability to achieve pregnancy after a year of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse.

Step 1: Trust the Treatment

Despite the difficult emotions you’re experiencing, there are important reasons to stay hopeful. First of all, you are not alone. Infertility is a very common problem. In our country, one in every six couples experiences infertility. An important piece of information to keep in mind: More than two-thirds of couples undergoing treatment are able to conceive successfully.

The technologies used in infertility treatment have advanced significantly. Today, the innovative treatment methods and technologies provide more positive results than ever before. We can even treat complex cases.

Our embryology laboratory is managed by experienced embryologists and laboratory technicians. We focus on improving embryo development and success rates.

So, you’ve encountered a negative pregnancy test result or are concerned about your fertility. What should you do?

First of all, you may not need to start a treatment plan immediately. Sometimes, all you need is advice and consultation with a specialist. Perhaps after tests and diagnoses, you’ll learn that there is no issue and feel relieved.

Causes of Infertility

According to research, 35% of infertility cases are due to issues in women, 35% are due to issues in men, and 20% involve both partners. About 10% of cases are unexplained. In other words, infertility affects both men and women equally.

Below, we have listed the most common causes of infertility that affect both women and men.

What is Needed for a Healthy Pregnancy

To fully understand the causes of infertility, we first need to understand the components required for pregnancy to occur.

Egg: A woman must produce a healthy egg.

Sperm: A man must produce healthy sperm.

Fallopian Tubes: A woman’s fallopian tubes must be open to allow sperm to pass through and reach the egg.

Fertilization: Healthy sperm must fertilize a healthy egg to form a healthy embryo.

Implantation: A healthy embryo must attach well to the uterus (implantation).

Female-Related Causes

Common causes of infertility in women include:

• Advanced maternal age,
• Endometriosis,
• Hormonal imbalances; polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS),
• Structural abnormalities of the uterus, fallopian tubes, or ovaries,
• Past pelvic infections or inflammation,
• Decreased ovarian reserve,
• Genetic abnormalities in embryos,
• Fallopian tube blockages or damage,
• STDs (sexually transmitted diseases),
• Stress.

Pelvic exams, ultrasounds, blood tests, and hysterosalpingograms (HSG) are used to detect female-related problems.

Male Infertility

Causes of male infertility include:

• Problems with sperm production in the testes: a high number of abnormally shaped sperm (poor morphology), low sperm count, and reduced sperm motility (poor motility),
• Previous testicular injury,
• Varicocele: enlarged veins in the scrotum that can lead to reduced sperm production,
• Previous infections,
• General health problems: hypertension, diabetes,
• Hormonal abnormalities,
• STDs (sexually transmitted diseases),
• Stress.

Male infertility is often diagnosed through a semen analysis test.

If You Have Had Previous Unsuccessful Attempts

To maximize your fertility success, it’s essential to ensure the quality of care you are receiving. For this, we:

• Diagnose and treat complex and rare reproductive disorders with detailed examination,
• Meet monthly as a team to review complex cases, especially those who have experienced IVF failure, miscarriages, or unexplained cases, addressing each case individually,
• Discuss clinical research providing access to new treatments with our patients.
• For patients with male infertility, who have previously had low fertilization rates or fertilization failure, we perform ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection).

In this article, we have addressed the topic “we want a baby but it’s not happening, what should I do?”. You can visit our blog page for more information on IVF, pregnancy, and women’s health.