TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A recent report from the World Health Organization shows nearly 1 in 6 people worldwide will be affected by infertility in their lifetime.
Being healthy and proactive is what Dr. Gelety from the Arizona Center for Endocrinology and Infertility tells couples who have been trying to conceive for more than a year, which is classified as infertility.
But it’s not just women that play a contributing role when it comes to experiencing infertility because nearly 45% of men do too.
“Half of the time because it's a couple, both partners have to participate in achieving a pregnancy. We can’t always blame the woman and about half of the time roughly, we'll see the problem on the man's side," said Gelety.
Obesity, stress, too much alcohol, and smoking cigarettes all negatively affect sperm count and overall sperm health. For women, age is also one of the biggest factors. Over the age of 35 years old is when most women’s ability to get pregnant starts to decline.
Dr. Gelety explains with research, there are hopeful options that can help create a family but being proactive is important sooner rather than later.
“Nowadays, it's very easy to treat most infertility problems and the success rate is very, very high. The only thing that would interfere with getting pregnant is waiting too long," said Gelety.
Dr. Gelety says there’s no real bad time to evaluate egg or sperm count but more importantly not to rule out gender when it comes to experiencing infertility. He recommends if it’s taking longer than six months to a year to get pregnant, both parties should get checked.
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Brooke Chau is a reporter for KGUN 9. She was a part of Fresno State's newscast, Fresno State Focus and interned at KFSN-ABC30 in Fresno, CA before coming to KGUN 9. Share your story ideas and important issues with Brooke by emailing brooke.chau@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
