Sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy food habits and work-related pressures are some of the reasons for the prevalence of infertility among men and women nowadays. While a lot has been discussed about male infertility, its causes and remedies, the growing risk of female infertility remains a less discussed issue.

Worldwide, almost 30% of the incidences of infertility are related to female infertility, and the numbers are growing. The prevalence of infertility in women of reproductive age has been estimated to be one in every seven couples in the western countries and one in every four couples in developing countries.

Causes of Female Infertility

There are several causes of female infertility, including the failure to ovulate, poorly functioning fallopian tubes, Endometriosis, abnormal uterus, behavioural/lifestyle factors, environmental/occupational factors, etc.

However, ovulatory disorders are one of the most common reasons why women are unable to conceive, and account for 30% of women's infertility. The causes of failed ovulation could be one of the following:

1. Hormonal imbalance, giving rise to problems like failure to produce mature eggs, malfunction of the hypothalamus and malfunction of the pituitary gland.
2. Damaged ovaries caused by physical scars due to surgeries, ovarian cysts or infections.
3. Early menopause
4. Unruptured follicle syndrome, causing the egg to remain inside the ovary, preventing succcessful ovulation

Remedies for ovulatory disorders

Approximately 70% of the cases of ovulatory disorders can be successfully treated by the use of appropriate pregnancy supplements. But are pregnancy supplements effective? To answer this question, we take you through the experience of Ms. Charlotte Parker, a legal secretary from England.

Charlotte Parker, 31, from Crawley, Sussex, was advised by doctors that her egg count was so low that IVF was 'pointless'. In an article published in the leading English daily ‘Daily Mail’, she spoke of her shock at falling pregnant naturally twice - with four children, after starting to take the pregnancy supplement Pregnacare.
Charlotte says that she was left 'devastated' after being advised it was almost impossible that she would be able to get pregnant - even if she tried IVF. However, just as Charlotte and her husband Billy, 29, began looking into having a child with an egg donor, they were staggered to find they were expecting.

The arrival of their son, Lewis, last September was a joyful surprise but more shocks were in the pipeline. With Charlotte not on fertility treatment and taking just a £4.50 pregnancy supplement, Pregnacare, she fell pregnant again in December and are now expecting triplets, meaning they're set to have four children in just 11 months.

After a smooth pregnancy and birth, Lewis arrived in September last year weighing a healthy 7lbs shocking the couple, who had been left fearing they may never have children. “'Lewis is perfect. He's a jolly and really content baby. He's a good sleeper and a good eater, he's great,” says the delighted mother.
“By mid-January I was pregnant again. It was an amazing feeling, we couldn't believe it. We doubted it would happen at all but we thought we'd rather have two children close together than not have another one at all, and if we didn't have another baby then we had Lewis and we were happy.” Early signs made Charlotte think she might be pregnant with twins because she felt more tired and sick than she had with Lewis. But the couple got the shock of their lives when a scan revealed that she was carrying triplets!

“We didn't have any fertility treatment, I just didn't go back on the pill and was on pregnacare [a vitamin often taken by women trying to get pregnant or who are pregnant],” explained Charlotte, adding, “It is daunting but very, very exciting. We feel incredibly lucky. So many people are told similar things to what I heard and do not get the happy outcome they want so we feel very fortunate. It's nice that we have had a positive outcome. We're enjoying life as a family of three at the moment but we can't wait to meet the triplets and become a family of six.”

About Pregnacare Conception

VITABIOTICS, the makers of Pregnacare, the UK's leading pregnancy supplement, have developed Pregnacare Conception specially formulated to help support a healthy conception for women who are trying for a baby. It helps moms-to-be prepare their bodies and ensure they have a healthy diet and lifestyle to maximise the chances of conception. Pregnacare Conception formula has been developed on the basis of worldwide studies showing that certain nutrients can play an important role in helping to build nutritional stores ready for pregnancy and support good reproductive health. Pregnacare Conception provides a carefully balanced comprehensive formulation of micronutrients including the specific nutrients inositol, l-arginine, n-acetyl cysteine and selenium. The formula also includes vitamin B12 and folic acid.

In the UAE, Pregnacare Conception as well as other VITABIOTICS products are marketed and distributed by New Country Healthcare, Dubai. They can be reached via email info@nchme.com or by phone +971-4-3537733.