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Fertility is the ability to have children. It means that a person’s body can produce sperm or eggs and, if the conditions are right, create a baby. Both men and women have their own reproductive systems that play a role in fertility, and there are many factors that can affect how well these systems work.
The female reproductive system
The female reproductive system is an important part of the human body. It allows women to have babies, but it also plays a role in overall health by producing hormones that control different functions in the body. It is made up of several parts, both inside and outside the body.
Sperm is a word you might have heard before, but you might not know exactly what it is or where it comes from. This article explains everything you need to know about sperm in a clear and simple way, from how much is produced to how to keep it healthy.
For many people, getting pregnant can be difficult. If you are struggling to become pregnant you may have infertility. Treatments are sometimes available to help you become pregnant.
Fertility rates have been falling in the UK and across the world. This means that, on average, people are having fewer children than they used to. In fact, fertility rates in countries that are part of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have dropped by half over the last 60 years. This is a big change, and it has serious consequences for society.
Menopause is a natural stage in a woman’s life when her periods stop for good. It usually happens between the ages of 45 and 55, although it can happen earlier or later. Menopause marks the end of fertility, which means a woman can no longer get pregnant naturally. It happens because the body produces less of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone, which are needed to release eggs and have regular periods.
By Terry Sullivan
We sort the scientific facts from the misconceptions.
By Paisley Gilmour
Fewer children are being born in England and Wales and the fertility rate is at its lowest level on record. But as we can learn from earlier generations, this is not the entire picture when measuring long-term fertility.
My daughter and I are experiencing unwieldy, messy life transitions together. I’ve found comfort in it.
By Angela Garbes
Nations are deploying baby bonuses, subsidised childcare and parental leave to try to reverse a rapidly declining fertility rate – largely to no avail.
By Tory Shepherd
The run-up to menopause can begin in your 30s, leaving young women confused by unexplained symptoms. Here are the tell-tale signs.
By Marina Gask
Does the likelihood of women conceiving really drop off a cliff after 30? Are those aged 35+ actually ‘geriatric’ mothers? As the average age of starting IVF passes 35, Helen Coffey talks to the experts about the realities of getting pregnant later in life.
Infertility can be caused by many different things. For 1 in 4 couples, a cause cannot be identified.
Leading Chichester-based consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Ms Neelima Dixit explains the different factors that can affect fertility.
The length of the menstrual cycle varies from woman to woman, but the average is to have periods around every 28 days. Regular cycles that are longer or shorter than this, from 21 to 35 days, are normal.
Females are born with between one and two million eggs. The number decreases until a person stops ovulating and reaches menopause. At that point, fewer than 1,000 remain.
By Rachel Ann Tee-Melegrito, medically reviewed by Meredith Wallis, MS, APRN, CNM, IBCLC
