Can I be Infertile and Not Know About It?

Although this is not what most women want to hear, the truth is, It is possible to suffer infertility and not know about it. This is because, for most women, infertility only becomes an area of interest when trying to conceive. If you have been trying to conceive with no luck, you must be curious as to whether you or your partner are suffering from an underlying health condition that stops you from having a baby.

The inability to conceive can be a source of emotional distress, frustration, and uncertainty. This is why it is important to learn about the key signs of infertility, especially in women and reach out to your doctor for the next steps. Let’s look at some of the common signs.

What are the common signs of infertility?

Missing periods

While it is not uncommon for women to miss a period at least once, especially after they stop taking birth control, your body might need a couple of months to regulate and start ovulating again. However, missing your period for more than 3 months in a row should be a cause for concern. When you have no periods it suggests that you are not ovulating and you have a small chance to conceive without assistance.

Irregular periods

It can be hard to tell when you will ovulate if you do not get your period regularly. A healthy menstrual cycle is somewhere between 21 to 35 days. If your cycle varies so greatly that you can’t even begin to estimate when your period might arrive you are experiencing irregular periods. While there can be different reasons for irregular periods, some of them could be the result of bigger disorders and a sign of infertility.

Bleeding between periods

It’s one thing to have spotting before your period and another to bleed. Bleeding tends to be enough to call it a period while spotting can be just a few drops. You can learn more about spotting here! Bleeding in between your cycles or after intercourse can indicate a uterine polyp or fibroid, or cervical lesion. Aside from getting pregnant. Your doctor should make sure these symptoms don't indicate something more serious like cancer, although this is rarely the case.

Painful and heavy periods

Most women experience cramps during their periods. But painful periods that interfere with your daily life may be a symptom of endometriosis. Similarly, If you go through more than one pad or tampon an hour for several hours, pass blood clots larger than the size of a quarter, bleed for more than seven days or your period is unusually heavy, these can be signs of probable underlying issues which could inhibit pregnancy.

Hormone fluctuations

Signs of hormone fluctuations in women could indicate potential issues with fertility. Talk to your doctor if you experience the following:

reduced sex drive
facial hair growth
thinning hair
skin issues
weight gain

Pain during sex

It’s unfortunate that many women experience pain during sex until they believe that it is normal, but the truth is it is not. It could be related to hormone issues, endometriosis, or other underlying conditions that could also be contributing to infertility. Consider speaking to your doctor if you experience painful sex every time.

Short and light periods

There are different reasons behind shorter cycles, if you consistently have very light cycles or cycles that are shorter than 18 days, it's possible you are not ovulating or aren't producing enough progesterone to sustain a pregnancy. Speak to your doctor who will check your hormone levels to tell you if there may be an issue contributing to your ability to conceive.

The takeaway

Whether you are trying to have a baby now, or considering this as an option in the future, we recommend that you speak to your doctor if you have one or more of these symptoms and they should be able to help you. If you fear that you may be infertile because it is taking too long to conceive, remember just because it’s taking a while doesn’t always mean you can never conceive.

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