What is fertility?
Fertility means:
- being able to get pregnant and give birth to a baby
- being able to make someone pregnant.
The parts of your body that help you do this are called your reproductive system.
A woman has eggs stored in her ovaries. A man makes sperm in his testicles (balls).
To start a pregnancy, a man’s sperm needs to fertilise a woman’s egg. This may happen when a man and a woman have sex. This fertilised egg is called an embryo and may grow into a baby.
Some people have difficulty getting pregnant or making someone pregnant. They may need treatment to help them.
Fertility in men
Your reproductive system includes the:
- testicles
- penis
- prostate gland.
The pituitary gland is a small gland at the base of the brain. It releases hormones (chemical messengers in the body) that control how your reproductive system works.
Your fertility depends on:
- having the right hormone levels
- having healthy sperm
- being able to get an erection (hard-on)
- being able to ejaculate (come).
Puberty is when your body starts to change from being a child into an adult. This happens around the age of 12. When this happens, the testicles start to make and store sperm.
Hormones from the pituitary gland and the testicles control sperm production. The testicles make the hormone testosterone. Testosterone is important for sex drive and for getting an erection.
To start a pregnancy, you will ejaculate during vaginal sex. The fluid you ejaculate is called semen. Semen is mostly made up of fluid from the prostate gland. It also has sperm from the
testicles. If one of the sperm reaches the woman’s egg, the egg may be fertilised. This may start a pregnancy.
Fertility in women
Your reproductive system includes the:
- ovaries
- fallopian tubes
- womb (uterus)
- cervix
- vagina.
The pituitary gland is a small gland at the base of the brain. It releases hormones (chemical messengers in the body) that control how your reproductive system works.
Your fertility depends on having:
- a supply of eggs from the ovaries
- a healthy womb
- the right hormone levels.
Usually, one of the ovaries releases an egg once a month. The hormones from the pituitary gland help control this process. This starts at puberty and happens until the menopause.
To get pregnant, one of your eggs needs to be fertilised by a sperm. This may happen if you have vaginal sex.
The egg leaves the ovary and moves along the fallopian tube. This is where it can be fertilised by a sperm. If it meets a sperm and is fertilised, the egg develops into a group of cells called
an embryo. The embryo moves to the womb where it settles into the womb lining. The embryo stays in the womb and grows into a baby.
Every month, hormones help make the lining of the womb ready for an embryo. If the egg is not fertilised, the womb lining comes out through the vagina. This is your monthly period.
Puberty and menopause in women
Puberty is when your body starts to change from being a child into an adult. This happens around the age of 11.
You are born with lots of eggs. These are stored in the ovaries. You do not make more eggs after you are born. As you get older, the number of eggs in the ovaries decreases. When you have very few eggs left, the ovaries cannot release an egg every month and your periods stop. This is called the menopause. This usually happens between the age of 45 and 55.
