Trying for a baby: Sexually transmitted diseaseQ."We have been trying for a baby for three months. We have been having intercourse at least three times a day, but with no luck to date. I have previously had a sexually transmitted disease (chlamydia) and my husband had NSU, which was treated quickly. I suffer from mild polycystic ovaries but am still menstruating regularly. Does any of this information I have given, in your opinion, affect our chances of having a child? Finally, does having intercourse three times a day affect our chances at all?"A.Chlamydia can affect fertility by damaging the fallopian tubes. A third of women who have had a single chlamydial infection will have a fertility problem. The only way this can be overcome is by IVF. Ways of checking whether your tubes have been damaged or not usually involve an anaesthetic and a diagnostic keyhole operation called a laparoscopy. There are, however, techniques using an ultrasound scan which are much simpler and easier and some units use this as a first line of investigation. Your husband's sperm count might also have been affected by his attack of NSU and a semen test would be necessary to detect this.Polycystic ovaries can also affect fertility but they can exist in anything from a very mild to a very severe form. About a third of all women have ovaries which appear to be polycystic when they are seen at the time of an ultrasound scan. In most cases, as with yourself, this is not severe enough to prevent ovulation and conception occurs within a reasonable time. Having intercourse three times a day is not necessary for conception, but it should keep you fit with the exercise. My usual advice is to wait a year before asking for fertility investigations but in
your case, especially if your chlamydial infection was a severe one, I think if you are
not pregnant in the next three months, you should ask for some baseline investigations.
Remember that many health authorities will only agree to investigate and treat couples
under the NHS in certain circumstances. Trying for more than one year is sometimes one of
these. Good luck. |
