The statistical chance of becoming pregnant within one year of regular sexual intercourse without contraception is 80 per cent. If you extend the time span to two years, the chance increases to around 90 per cent. That sounds quite positive - but in every 6th to 7th partnership, the question still arises: "Why does our desire to have children remain unfulfilled?"
The causes can be clear. It is not uncommon for a mixture of different factors to be behind it. Sometimes, however, the causes of an unfulfilled desire to have children remain permanently in the dark. Expressed in figures: In around 30 per cent of cases, the reasons lie with the woman, in another 30 per cent of cases with the man and in a further 30 per cent of cases with both partners. In 10 per cent of cases, however, no cause can be identified.
Even if the reasons for a failed pregnancy are individual, there are still certain causes that often play a role. The following overview shows you what frequently influences an unfulfilled desire to have children.
The age of women and men
The Age of the woman is a key factor in childlessness. This means that the older she is, the smaller the chance of becoming pregnant. You can see this from the following figures: The statistical probability is 25 to 30 per cent that a 25-year-old woman who has unprotected intercourse on her fertile days will become pregnant. For a 30-year-old woman, this probability is only 15 per cent - and for a 40-year-old woman it is 10 per cent.
Also in the context of a Fertility treatment the chance of having a child decreases dramatically as patients get older. For example, the German IVF register (the abbreviation IVF stands for in vitro fertilisation) determined a pregnancy rate of 38.8 percent and a birth rate of 30 percent for 35-year-old patients. The 40-year-old women only had a pregnancy rate of 18.9 per cent and a birth rate of 10.6 per cent.
Why is that? Quite simply, the female body does not produce any new eggs, but has to make do with the "supply" that it brings with it at birth. We women are born with a lifelong supply of eggs, around one million to be precise. By the time we reach puberty, this number has already dropped to between 300,000 and 400,000 eggs. Only 300 to 500 of these eggs will ovulate, the surplus simply atrophy or die. In addition, the quality of the remaining eggs deteriorates as we get older.
However, this biological process is countered by the ongoing trend that women are becoming mothers for the first time later and later, currently at an average age of 30.2 years. According to the findings of the German IVF Register, the majority of patients currently undergoing an Fertility treatment undergo surgery in the age group between 35 and 39 - with a steadily increasing proportion of 40-plus-year-olds.
But also the Age of the man plays a role. Although the male body produces sperm for life, quantity is not quality. It all depends on the proportion of Good mobility sperm cells. However, this proportion decreases by just under one per cent per year with increasing age. Incidentally, it is now considered possible that there is also a correlation between the age of the father and the risk of miscarriage.
Immunological reasons
This is about the reaction of the respective immune system of the woman or man. Normally, the immune system is supposed to fight off anything that harms the body. To do this, it develops its own "police force" - namely suitable antibodies against harmful intruders.
However, sometimes an immune system "deceives" itself - and prevents a successful pregnancy due to its error. This is known as immunological sterility.
- With the woman: The woman's immune system can be intolerant to the man's sperm, i.e. perceive them as "hostile" intruders, fight them accordingly and thus prevent fertilisation.
It can also happen that even an embryo that has already formed is still attacked by the woman's antibodies, as half of it consists of paternal genes. This reaction prevents the embryo from implanting and the pregnancy from being maintained.
In rare cases, the woman's immune system is also directed against body's own (egg) cells and forms autoantibodies against them. This prevents ovulation from taking place in the first place.
- With the man: In around three per cent of all men, the immune system does not recognise their own semen as the body's own substance - and turns against it. As a result, the sperm clump together, become more immobile and are barely able to fertilise a female egg.
The most common causes in women for an unfulfilled desire to have children
Hormonal deviations are among the most common reasons for involuntary childlessness. Among other things, this can mean that the female body produces too little of the hormones that are responsible for egg maturation and ovulation. A deficiency of the hormone progesterone prevents or impedes the implantation of the fertilised egg and favours miscarriages.
On the other hand, an overproduction of the milk production hormone prolactin can also prevent ovulation. Too many male hormones in a woman's body also have a negative effect on female fertility.
A typical sign of hormonal imbalances is a missed or irregular period. A hormonal imbalance can be genetic, but also frequently occurs in (highly) competitive athletes and severely overweight or underweight women. A blood test will provide you with information about your hormone status.
Blocked fallopian tubes: If the fallopian tubes are blocked, the fertilised egg cannot even reach the uterus. The way there is simply blocked. However, this does not cause the woman any discomfort, which is why she normally does not notice it. Blocked fallopian tubes can, for example, be the result of an undetected pelvic inflammatory disease or sexually transmitted diseases.
As a non-invasive method, a two- or three-dimensional ultrasound examination can now be used to check how permeable the fallopian tubes are.
Endometriosis: In this common condition, the lining of the uterus forms outside the uterus. This can be in the fallopian tubes, the ovaries or the bladder, for example. As a result, cysts, adhesions or inflammations are possible, which in turn hinder the transport of the egg.
Endometriosis is characterised by intense pain or cramps during your period. Conversely, however, not every woman with severe period pain suffers from endometriosis.
The way of life: Both being overweight and underweight have a negative impact on fertility. This is another reason why a healthy, comprehensive diet is important when couples want to have children.
The most common causes in men for an unfulfilled desire to have children
Insufficient sperm formation: Sperm cells are formed in the male testicles with the significant involvement of two specific hormones. This depends on the number of sperm, their motility and their "correct" shape.
The following value should be achieved for a man's full fertility: There are at least 20 million sperm in one millilitre of semen. Half of these sperm cells are well motile and a third are correctly formed. If these values are not achieved, this is referred to as limited fertility.
The quality of the sperm cells can be medically assessed using a so-called spermiogram. This means that the ejaculate obtained through masturbation is analysed under a special microscope for number, motility and shape.
The causes of impaired sperm production can be hormonal disorders, childhood mumps, chemotherapy, varicose veins in the testicles or undescended testicles.
Impaired sperm transport: If the vas deferens are blocked, the sperm cannot leave the male body. The reason for this can be an anatomical malformation, for example, but it can also be due to blocked epididymal ducts as a result of inflammation.
The way of life
In addition to organic causes, a couple's lifestyle and habits or routines can also have an impact on the realisation of the desire to have children.
Smoking: Numerous studies have now shown that smoking significantly reduces fertility. With smoking women fewer eggs develop. In addition, the likelihood of the eggs being fertilised and then implanting "correctly" in the uterine lining decreases. In addition, the fertile phase of life is shortened by two to three years in smokers - so they usually reach the menopause earlier. It is important to know that passive smoking can also significantly impair a woman's fertility.
The body smoking men in turn produces fewer sperm. In addition, the sperm are also less mobile than those of non-smokers.
In line with these findings, smoking also reduces the success rate of a Reproductive medicine treatment clearly - even if the partnership only has one partner. one Both partners smoke. For this reason, some fertility centres only start treatment if both partners have stopped smoking.
Alcohol consumptionIt also reduces the chance of getting pregnant. According to research findings, it doesn't even matter what type of alcohol it is. As with smoking, the same applies here: The more and more frequently alcohol is consumed, in whatever form, the worse the chances of having a baby. And this applies to women and the man! The "consumption" of (high-percentage) drinks always impairs the quality of both the egg cells and the sperm cells. It also reduces the chance of successful implantation of a fertilised egg. Chronic drinkers who consume around 40 grams of alcohol a day (e.g. three 0.33 litre beers) can even damage their testicular tissue.
DrugsIt goes without saying that a couple wishing to have children should avoid drugs. Otherwise, the female cycle will be disrupted, meaning that ovulation will only take place very irregularly or not at all. In men, on the other hand, drugs have a direct effect on testosterone production. This is the male sex hormone that is produced in the testicles and is responsible for sperm production, among other things.
Even though almost every woman knows this by now, it is important for me to mention it again at this point: Smoking, alcohol and drugs are absolutely taboo during pregnancy to protect the unborn child! The desire to have children means that the responsibility for protecting the child already exists during the formation of the egg and sperm cells. This is because they form the genetic basis for the hoped-for
Competitive sport: Anyone who regularly pushes their body to the limits of its athletic performance must expect negative effects on fertility. This is because competitive sport releases an increased amount of stress hormones, and the entire hormonal balance can also become unbalanced. This is answered by the female bodies often have cycle disorders, which means that ovulation no longer takes place regularly. The male body produces less of a certain hormone and thus reduces sperm quality.
Stress: Constant stress in everyday life puts a strain on body and soul. Does the following sound familiar to you? You give your all at work and of course even more; you rush after every appointment in your free time; you do a lot of sport for fitness and constantly sleep too little. And this is just a small part of the stress programme of many women. Studies suggest that there may be a link between stress and involuntary childlessness. Of the women studied, many were still not pregnant after 12 months or it took 30 per cent longer for the women to become pregnant. A specific cause for this could not be clearly identified. However, regardless of the desire to have children, it has been scientifically proven that stress triggers various biochemical processes in the brain that have a holistic (and negative) effect on the body. For example, stress can also cause irregular ovulation.
Well, we may also be dealing with a kind of evolutionary defence mechanism here: a body that is under a lot of strain due to constant stress would be even more strained if it also had to "cope" with a pregnancy.
And what influence does Psychological stress on the unfulfilled desire to have children? This is still a controversial scientific debate. There are studies that have been able to prove a connection between an unfulfilled desire to have children and stress. It is obvious that this is the case. After all, stress has an impact on the blood flow to the organs, blood pressure and hormone balance. As described above, a disturbed hormonal situation is the most common cause of an unfulfilled desire to have children.
Added to this is the stress of waiting for pregnancy. The fact that pregnancy does not materialise despite all efforts also causes enormous psychological stress for the affected couples. They feel under constant pressure, their psyche is burdened and their self-confidence suffers. You can read more about this in my blog here read.
Regardless of scientific findings and proven biological correlations, it can't hurt to review your everyday life to see where you can slow down and relax more. In my blog you can here you can also read about what you can do to come closer to fulfilling your desire to have children.
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