Infertility without a cause

Your tubes are clear, his semen count is okay and you have no history of STDs — everything is normal. But you can’t conceive normally. MAUREEN AKINYI explores, unexplained infertility, the most frustrating diagnosis

Picture this scenario: You and your spouse have been married for a year and have been trying for a baby since the honeymoon night … but no bump is forthcoming.

Perhaps it’s the stress and the pressures of daily life or simply anxiety — you console yourselves. The last thing on your mind is a fertility problem.

But after all these months of trying and disappointment, you decide to seek out more sophisticated medical advice — you book an appointment with a fertility expert.

After an array of tests for both of you, the doctor summons you to his office and gives you the piercing verdict: "All the tests are normal. You have unexplained infertility."

Ouch! You want answers. You’d rather be told your tubes are blocked, or hubby has a low sperm count, but not an intangible answer— unexplained infertility.

There is nothing as shattering and frustrating as being told you have a problem but the doctors cannot establish the cause.

PROBLEM WITHOUT A CAUSE

"Couples want to know why they’re not getting pregnant. Doctors are also trained to make a specific diagnosis. It’s incredibly stressful for everyone involved," says Nanette Santoro, MD, professor and director of reproductive endocrinology and infertility, Albert Einstein College of Medicine quoted in Conceive Online.

Agnes, who has been searching for a baby for three years, knows this too well: "I wanted answers but none was forthcoming. You are only told to be patient. It is a crushing verdict," she says.

So what exactly is unexplained infertility?

Medics define unexplained infertility as the inability to achieve pregnancy after one year of regular unprotected intercourse despite no apparent medical cause.