This is the difference between infertile and sterile

How many times have we heard expressions such as 'you are going to be barren because of x' or 'they told me that causes infertility? ' Many people use these words interchangeably, believing that they have the same meaning. However, there is a very clear difference between these concepts: the difference is in the moment when you are unable to conceive.

La sterility It is a condition in which the reproductive system is unable to conceive because gametes (eggs and sperm) fail to conceive and, therefore, there is no embryo. When sperm cells fail to fuse with the egg, without the use of contraception and for a period of one year, it can be said that there is sterility.

There are two different types of sterility. On the one hand, the primary sterility: in those cases where a pregnancy has never been achieved prior to the condition. On the other hand, we talk about secondary sterility when the problem occurs after achieving a pregnancy and the next ones do not occur, that is, when sterility occurs after a pregnancy.

It is very rare for a person to become completely sterile. In the cases in which it happens, it usually has to do with clinical conditions such as azoospermia (absence of sperm in the ejaculate), ovarian failure or with the menopause.

Well, what about infertility? It is called infertility to the inability to successfully complete the pregnancy. An example might be having miscarriages every time you manage to have a pregnancy and never give birth, that is, that there is no birth. In these cases, we talk about infertility, since fertilization and implantation of the embryo in the uterus have occurred, but it does not come to term.

There are also two types of infertility: the primary type refers to cases in which no pregnancy has come to term. Secondary pregnancy occurs when, after a full term pregnancy, no more can be achieved.

'In sterility, there is no fertilization of the egg, in infertility there is, but there is no full-term pregnancy due to the impossibility of implantation. '

It is important to emphasize that both sterility and infertility are health conditions that refer to difficulties in conceiving and are highly stigmatized in society. They are not a joke, they are realities, in many cases heavy for those who suffer from them.

If you use these terms, since you have now informed yourself, use them correctly.