In the age of the Internet, people expect quick, straight forward solutions to their problems. Everyone thinks they can find the simple and direct answer just by Googling it. Health problems are no different. Today, people are relaying on cutting gluten, or adding more probiotics, or switching to all organic etc., thinking this will be the answer.

Everyone who struggles with infertility also longs to find the quick and easy solution. Studies come out almost every month (or week!), claiming to find the direct link to this thing or that thing, which they say causes infertility. And people latch onto the findings with such vigor, they don’t stop to look at the bigger picture.

In the medical and scientific community, most clinical studies are performed to help researchers understand a particular topic. Very few studies give a definitive yes or no answer.

For example, a study which came out in January of 2018, linked ibuprofen to male infertility. Most people’s gut reaction was to advise men to stop taking the over-the-counter medicine altogether. But is that really necessary?

In the study, instead of performing a semen analysis, or comparing pregnancy and birth rates, the researchers monitored the levels of hormones which stimulate testosterone and sperm production in men. This method of data collecting made their findings extremely limited. What they found was more like a suggestion that there might be a slight decrease in testicular function, but it does not necessarily correlate to actual birth rates. In addition, the research indicated this may not happen (if at all) until men reach the age of 40-50.

So what can we take away from this study? First, more research is needed to find a definitive answer. Second, infertility studies need to be taken with a grain of salt. For now, medical professionals agree it is safe to take over-the-counter ibuprofen without having to worry about it solely impacting your fertility.

Even though there is still no quick and easy answer to the struggle of infertility, embryo adoption or donation may be the solution you are looking for. To learn more, visit EmbryoAdoption.org.

Loading...