How to Effectively Prepare for Pregnancy with Infertility?

Infertility refers to the inability to achieve pregnancy despite regular sexual intercourse and attempts to conceive. Generally, if a couple has normal sexual relations and does not achieve pregnancy for over a year, it is considered infertility.

Infertility is typically categorized into female factors, male factors, and common factors. While female factors often receive attention, male factors are also significant. Therefore, if a couple is having difficulty conceiving, it is advisable for both partners to undergo infertility testing.

Things to Check When Pregnancy Is Difficult to Achieve

If you are older, it can be assumed that your fertility has declined compared to before. It is generally said that after the age of 35 (in full years), the rate of decline in fertility accelerates. While this may not be a major concern for those who have already had their first pregnancy and delivery before age 35 (e.g., for a second pregnancy), if a woman has never been pregnant by age 35, her chances of successful pregnancy are likely lower.

Especially for those over 40, if irregular menstrual cycles, premature menopause, or menopausal-like symptoms are observed, the window for pregnancy is limited. In such cases, various assisted reproductive technologies should be actively considered.

When assessing the health of eggs based on factors such as the number of eggs a woman's ovaries hold, the term ovarian reserve is used. If a woman is older and also experiences ovulation disorders, irregular menstruation, or premature menopause, ovarian reserve should be evaluated during infertility testing to more thoroughly check the chances of pregnancy.

Pregnancy Preparation and Body Condition Management

Pregnancy is a very complex process. It is not simply a matter of sperm and egg meeting, leading naturally from conception to childbirth. First, there must be no issues with the egg and sperm during fertilization. If the egg or sperm have qualitative problems, such as abnormal sperm or anucleated eggs, even if fertilization occurs, it is difficult for a normal developmental process to lead to implantation and maintenance of pregnancy.

It is said that it takes about one hundred days for an oocyte to be selected as a dominant follicle by hormones such as estrogen and then ovulated. Therefore, during the pregnancy preparation process, it is advisable to prioritize creating a body condition suitable for pregnancy by combining various efforts such as dietary habits, weight control, stress management, smoking cessation, and exercise to ovulate healthy eggs.

Especially if you have experienced recurrent miscarriages, it may indicate that your body is not yet healthy enough to sustain a pregnancy. Therefore, during the pregnancy preparation period, you should strive to create a body suitable for pregnancy through thorough management.

Gynecological Diseases and Pregnancy

If pregnancy is difficult to achieve and various gynecological diseases are present, treatment for these conditions may need to precede pregnancy attempts. Depending on the presence of various gynecological diseases, from those causing menstrual irregularities or ovulation disorders like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or stress-induced amenorrhea, to those that can worsen the uterine environment and hinder successful implantation such as uterine fibroids, endometriosis, and adenomyosis, a clear pregnancy and treatment plan must be established.

If you are still relatively young or have already experienced natural pregnancy and childbirth, it is acceptable to calmly proceed with pregnancy preparation and attempt natural conception.

Infertility Treatment and Korean Medicine

In Korean medicine for infertility, treatment can help restore ovulation by correcting hormone imbalances or promote successful pregnancy maintenance by warming the uterus and body in cases of luteal phase defect, where low basal body temperature hinders implantation. For conditions like endometriosis and adenomyosis, where an inflammatory environment in the uterus is unfavorable for pregnancy, therapeutic approaches that can help alleviate this are also possible.

Korean medicine can also offer various benefits during the process of attempting assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intrauterine insemination (IUI). Research on various Korean medicine treatments, including acupuncture, is being reported for reducing side effects or failures during ovulation induction processes using clomiphene.

If you are experiencing difficulties with pregnancy, preparing your body to be in a condition conducive to conception is of utmost importance. Please seek appropriate help to assess your current body condition and establish a corresponding pregnancy plan.