What the Kardashian sisters show us about infertility

It’s pretty difficult to avoid seeing, hearing about, or watching the Kardashian family these days. Their fame has skyrocketed and the connections they have made with other giants of the music and athletic worlds only make their name even more recognizable.

When we look at public figures like this, it’s easy for envy to get the best of us. The ostensibly perfect lifestyles of the rich and famous are displayed all over every television, computer, and telephone screen; we just can’t seem to escape the tales of these luxurious lifestyles, but we also can’t seem to look away. We start to entertain the ideas of enormous success and unfathomable wealth before we get angry at ourselves for being unrealistic.

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But then scandal erupts. Or maybe not even scandal – it might just be some little tidbit of news that embarrasses or exposes something personal about the personalities that we simultaneously love and hate. When this happens, we relish in the humiliation or suffering – however great or small – that the public figure experiences and we feel as though the Universe has felt our desperation and delivered justice to these people who never deserved what they had in the first place…

…Which brings me back to the Kardashians.

The Karadshians are currently in the market for babies. No, they’re not trying to buy them (although they could certainly afford it), but two of the sisters are or have been trying to conceive with their respective partners. The family’s sweetheart, Kim, has just released news about her pregnancy despite having issues with fertility. Kim was not expecting to get pregnant, but said that she felt fortunate to be with child despite the doctor’s skepticism. On the other hand, we have Khloe. Khloe, also with fertility issues, has been trying to conceive with her husband for some time. The publicly distraught Khloe, however, has not been as lucky as her younger sister.

So, although one of them was fortunate enough to actually become pregnant, should we enjoy the fact that this incredibly privileged family has had to experience a hardship that is common to the population? You might even wonder, does Khloe feel the same jealousy and frustration over her sister’s pregnancy that we often feel about a celebrity’s good fortune? The truth is that the news about the Kardashians’ fertility issues actually raises more discussion about the world of pregnancy as a whole.

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Recent studies have been released that describe as much as one in six couples faces issues with fertility. Specifically, these are couples who have been having regular, unprotected sex for at least a year without becoming pregnant. This means that about 16% of the population will encounter difficulty similar to that of the Kardashian sisters. Some of these people may go on to conceive naturally, and some of these couples may have success with IVF, but the rest of the population may never be able to conceive a child.

So within this 16% we have the Kims and the Kourtneys. Kims, although they might have trouble at first, could very well go on to have a child of their own. But watching those Kims will be the Kourtneys: the couples who try and try, but despair at their unsuccessful efforts to create a child. And while they agonize over their inability to conceive, the Kourtneys have to sit idly by and witness the Kims and their miracle children.

I think that I am trying to say that the illustration that the Kardashian pregnancy issue provides is an apt one. At the same time that we may envy the Kardashians’ fame and privileged lifestyle, our jealousy and frustration is shared by one of its members. Not to mention, it is an example of just how ubiquitous infertility actually is; infertility is something that is not concerned with race, prominence, or class – it affects even the very people that we sometimes wish to be.

And I don’t intend to make this a diatribe about being satisfied with what you have, because it isn’t. In fact, I think that a little bit of dissatisfaction can turn into proactivity, which can maybe turn into something even better. This case-study with the Kardashian sisters is meant to let you know that you are not alone with infertility, and to show you that even when chances are slim, pregnancy is still a possibility. So although infertility may be holding you back, investigate what an infertility physician like the ones at the Frisco Institution for Reproductive Medicine can do for you. Take action toward conception and, who knows…maybe you’ll find out that you’re a Kim.

Male Infertility: Varicoceles

Sometimes, even after a couple has gone through extensive measures to ensure conception, it still never happens. The couple, of course, tries naturally, but then looks to IVF, and fertility drugs; when none of these methods prove effective, the couple may begin to believe that a child just isn't in the cards for them. But the thesis of most fertility treatments is that the woman is the one with the problem. More often than not, the man is overlooked as the culprit when it comes to infertility.

Of course, this language sounds more accusatory than it is actually meant to be. The fact is that countless men can suffer from infertility, and it's nothing to be ashamed of. It is something that simply needs to be considered if a couple intends on receiving the most thorough evaluation possible about their ability to eventually conceive.

One of the contributors to male infertility is called a Varicocele. A varicocele is a varicose vein that appears on the left side of the scrotum and can cause discomfort and, yes, infertility. But sometimes a varicocele isn't particularly uncomfortable. Sometimes a male won't demonstrate any symptoms indicating the presence of a varicocele. This problem, affecting about 15% of the population, mostly goes unnoticed by subjects who aren't actively trying to conceive.

Fortunately, the corrective procedure for a varicocele is very effective, with 96% of patients claiming to have a decrease in pain and as much as 80% demonstrating an improvement in the quality of semen. In both approaches to the procedure, the flow of blood going into the vein is redirected to other, healthier veins: one method is to tie the vein off, and the other is to block off the vein via a catheter inserted through the patient's neck (don't worry, it makes it down there). Since both of these procedures are relatively simple, correcting a varicocele can provide a quick fix for a couple that is trying to get pregnant as soon as possible.

This article details the journey experienced by a couple who was having difficulty with conception - even after IVF - and looked to varicocele treatment as a final resort. Sure enough, the couple was pregnant before the husband could even return for a post-surgery checkup.

Although a varicocele may not be the exact reason for a couple's infertility, it is still something that should be investigated if you are seriously hoping for pregnancy in the future!

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