With one in six Australian couples having a fertility problem, according to Genea Fertility, the experience is far from uncommon.
And with so many myths floating around surrounding the best ways to get pregnant, it’s important for people to become familiar with the research that’s actually out there.
In our new podcast series, ‘Fertility Unfiltered’, in partnership with Genea Fertility, Tarla Lambert speaks to reproductive health specialist Dr Cheryl Phua who works with many women and couples struggling to get pregnant.
Dr Phua shares the causes of female infertility, building a good support network, advancements in reproductive technology, and dispels some lingering myths, noting that overall “the important thing is to be empowered with knowledge.”
To learn about more reproductive health topics from health experts, check out the rest of the podcast series, “Fertility Unfiltered”, as new episodes are released each week. We’re creating a safe space for conversations around fertility, ranging from the possibility of parenthood, seeking guidance on reproductive health and even the science behind conception.
Causes of female infertility
Reproductive technology has come a long way, but the reality is that none of it guarantees pregnancy. Dr Phua notes that we can’t prolong the peak functioning of our ovaries.
“I’ve got lots of patients that seem to say ‘look I go to the gym, I’m really healthy, you know I’m feeling really great’. But that doesn’t reflect the age of your ovaries and that’s an important factor in that gym age isn’t always equivalent to your biological age or your egg age,” she says.
Aside from age, Dr Phua says some other things that can cause problems when trying to get pregnant include organ issues and hormonal imbalances.
“There also might be issues with the cervix or mucus production at the time. And therefore it might mean that the sperm isn’t necessarily able to pass through it to get to the egg,” she says.
“Some women might also experience tubal dysfunction or problems with the fallopian tubes in which they might be blocked and also some of the women might have scarring in the womb or the home in which the embryo has implanted thus preventing pregnancy.”
“Other causes include things like endometriosis which is an inflammatory condition that can affect egg quality as well as implantation, genetic issues, autoimmune or immune factors also play a role.”
Building a good support network
For those experiencing fertility challenges, Dr Phua suggests building a good network of people for support, including healthcare practitioners and other women or couples who are on a similar path.
“A lot of women sort of feel very stigmatised and shy to discuss these issues because nobody talks about it,” says Dr Phua, adding that she tells all of her patients: “Don’t listen to your friends that said they fell pregnant within one month of trying because that hardly ever happens.”
“Nobody talks about how difficult it is and what a roller coaster journey fertility challenges are,” she says.
When looking to build a support network, Dr Phua recommends finding a healthcare provider that suits your needs and understands where you’re at in your fertility journey. She also suggests looking into counselling services, podcasts, social networks as well as touching base with friends and family.
Advancements in reproductive technology
Explaining some of the advancements in reproductive technology and what they mean for people with fertility challenges, Dr Phua says an increasing number of women are using egg freezing to start their family as “eggs survive coming out of the freezer really well”.
She says other promising developments include “in-vitro maturation, where instead of giving women hormones to blast their ovaries to get mature eggs, we’re able to get that in a more gentle manner– to retrieve eggs and then mature them or grow them in the lab to a time where they can be fertilised and form an embryo.”
In women with premature menopause, there’s special techniques now to “try to wake up some of the sleeping follicles” to see if they can have a biological child, says Dr Phua.
Artificial intelligence has also shown to be helpful in selecting the best embryo for chances of fertility, and for women born without a uterus, she says, “there’s now uterine transplants that’s happened in New South Wales in two big centres.
With all of the new technology available, Dr Phua notes that young women are more in control of their fertility than ever before.