Is there any way to know whether or not you are infertile?

Question

Im not looking to have kids yet (im 17) but i have been doing all these research projects for religious education at school and the stats for infertile people are so high. I am actually really scared that i wont be able to have kids. I really want to have my own kids and concieve naturally (reproductive technology is fine if you ask me - but i still want to do it all naturally). So is there any way that i could find out whether or not i am infertile? I know i am young to be worrying about it all, i still want to go to uni, travel and fall in love etc. But help would be awesome! Thanks

Answer 1

fertility can depend on so many factors!  you might be totally fertile right now, but something could change.

Many women have waited until their thirties to get married, starting a career and continuing to work, only finally starting to try to have a family as they near forty.  At that point, much of their natural fertility has begun to drop off.  

then there are other factors.  Some diseases cause infertility.  Most, nowadays, are under control from vaccinations, but some are not.  New diseases come along all the time.  Syphillis can cause sterility, and there is no way to prevent that, if the disease has progressed before you know you have it.  

You might be in some sort of bizarre accident that causes something to go wrong.  You could have your first child with no problems and then find that you have a problem becoming pregnant the second time (look at that woman who had puppies in Iowa - I mean a litter of babies - I mean 7 or 8!  that's insane!  She was on complete bedrest for, like 7 months!)  

There are some conditions that cause sterility and/or infertility that you won't even KNOW about until you start trying.

Fact is, because of the way things work, no doctor is likely to have you tested for anything at your age.  You probably won't even know until you have been trying to get pregnant for over a year, without success.

And there is nothing wrong with a bit of medical technology.  My son is the product of modern science.  He's all mine and my husband's completely our genes, but we needed a little jump start.  No big deal.  You cross that bridge when you come to it.  Just know, that the one thing you CAN control, assuming you meet the right guy and you are ready, is the age at which you start trying.  Cause you are at your most fertile during your teens and twenties...you don't want to get started before your twenties, though, despite nature.