Question: do you know when you cant have babies what is the different cause to that ?

David Nunan answered on 16 Nov 2015:

Hi,

That’s a tricky one. We do know of some health conditions that will affect women and men differently and make it harder for them to have babies.

But their are couples who a trying to have a baby but for some unknown reason it’s really difficult for them. Scientists are trying to understand these reasons but we don’t have any definitive answers yet.

But scientists have developed techniques to help couples who are having difficulties conceiving called IVF (in vitro (glass) fertilisation). This is where eggs from the women are taking out of the ovaries during a small operation. Sperm from the man is then either put next to the egg or injected directly into the egg inside a lab. We then have to wait to see if the sperm manages to fertilise the egg. If it works, then the fertilised egg is put back into the women and we have then wait and see if the egg attaches to the womb and grows into a baby. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.

When IVF doesn’t work, there are often cases where the couple manage to conceive a baby naturally without needing to try IVF again. I think this just shows how complicated and amazing the biology of reproduction really is!