Infertility and Islam

Auzubillahi minash shaitan ir rajeem,

Bismillah ir rahman ir rahim,

Dear Angela,

I  hope whatever you are dealing with is curable, and may allah bless you with a soleh offspring insha allah.

There can be several reasons for infertility in both men and women, seeking medical assistance in this matter should not be haram in Islam. I dont know every case and every treatment, but can tell you that there are two solutions to this which are not acceptable islamically.

i) Involvement of a surrogate is considered wrong. The reason is, in this case a woman bears a baby which is not from her husband, and this is ethically incorrect in Islam.

ii) Artificial insemination is not permissible, if the material used is from a sperm bank. If however, the woman is artificially inseminated by her husband's sperms, it is permissible.

Adoption is a very noble deed, alhamdulillah. To give an orphan the security of a home, love affection and ubbringing with care is rewarded. The sharia does not permit natural inheritance of property to adopted children, but one can always mention specifics in a will.

I hope this answers some of your concerns.

Maa salaama,

Nausheen

Auzubillahi minash shaitan ir rajeem,

Bismillah ir rahman ir rahim,

May Allah reward all your intensions, efforts, and deeds manifolds. May He increase you and your husband in imaan, and bless your family, insha allah. Ameen.

Maa salaama,

Nausheen

I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome....very severe to years of misdiagnosis.  I need expensive medicines and treatments.  Unfortunately in most States and for most insurances, fertility is a luxury and not covered.  My husband and I are too poor to afford the medication, treatments and doctors visits.  So, we are looking into adoption instead.  Our church subsidizes adoptions and it is only 10% of your income to adopt with a minimum of $4000 dollars.  We are going to start the process sometime next year. 

My aunt was barren for most of her marriage, then suddenly at 38 yrs old, she had my cousin Lydia.  One child, that's all, but it was enough for her and my Uncle.  They love their little miracle, which she truly is.  They were not under a doctor's care when Lydia decided to join the family.  In that I will always hold hope.

Maybe I will earn a blessing from God through my actions.  I believe in the end we will be rewarded for our own deeds.  Only he knows why I am tested like this, and I'm sure he has a plan for me that is bigger than I can see now.

Thank you both for your encouraging words.

I was recently told of several books that treat PCOS with dietary changes, exercise and herbal supplements.  I was going to try the exercise and dietary changes.  I get concerned with herbal supplements because some of them have side effects that aren't talked about.  For example St John's Wort in prolonged usage increases light sensitivity and should not be taken by people who work outside or are out for long periods of time during the midday.  Trust me, I've been looking for alternatives, but trying to avoid hollow promises of miracle cures and snake oils.  Its a tough call sometimes what to trust when there are no clinical trials backing up claims.  Thanks though, I'll maybe do another search, I haven't done one in about a year.  Maybe there's something new.