Apart from the conventional definition of infertility...
Pregnancy loss or frequent miscarriages in women is also referred to as infertility. In such conditions, it is advisable to meet your doctor and undergo infertility evaluation. However, if you have a history of irregular menstrual cycles, pelvic inflammations, or endometriosis, you should consider getting evaluated much earlier.
Female Infertility Symptoms
The main symptom of infertility is the inability to get pregnant. Some other common symptoms of pregnancy are:
| • | Irregular menstrual cycle |
| • | Severe pain during menstruation |
| • | Some hormonal fluctuations, causing skin issues, facial hair growth, and obesity |
| • | Pain during sex |
Causesof Female Infertility:
For a pregnancy to occur, every step in the reproduction process has to occur correctly. In a woman, a number of factors can disrupt this process.
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A woman’s age |
| The most important fact or influencing a woman’s chance of conceiving is her age. As a woman ages, the number of healthy eggs produced declin esespecially after the age of 30-35 | |
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Tubal disease or problems with the fallopian tube |
| If a woman’s fallopian tubes are blocked, this may prevent the sperm meeting with the egg. This can occur due to infections example: Tubercular salpingitis causing adhesions in the tubes. | |
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Endometriosis |
| Endometriosis affects about 10 to 20% of women of reproductive age. It occurs when the endometrial tissue normally lines the uterus, implantsandgrows outside the uterus in the ovaries, fallopian tubes or bladder. | |
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Ovulatory problems / Ovulation disorders / Premature ovarian failure: |
| Woman who don’t ovulate often have irregular or no periods . This occurs when the ovary fails to produce eggs before the time of menopause. It can be genetic (Turner's syndrome) or acquired (following radiation or chemotherapy for cancers; surgery to remove the ovaries for treating ovarian cancer or severe endometriosis or autoimmune ovarian failure) or unexplained reasons. | |
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Polycystic ovulation syndrome (PCOS) |
| It occurs due to overproduction of male hormone: androgen which adversely affects ovulation. Infertility is just one of the symptoms. Other symptoms include menstrual irregularities, acne, excess facial and body hair, obesity to name a few. | |
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Hormonal Imbalances |
| Production of appropriate amounts of hormones: Gonadotropic hormones namely - FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) and LH (Luteinizing Hormone) throughout the month is essential for ovulation. Any abnormality due to endocrine gland disorders, stress, and excessive weight loss/gain amongst many other factors can adversely affect their production leading to ovulation disorders and subsequently infertility | |
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Dysfunction of the hypothalamus |
| Excessive stress, weight gain or endocrine disorders which affect the pituitary gland that operates in association with the hypothalamus, the pituitary or the “master gland” is responsible for producing gonadotropic hormones which in turn regulate reproductive functioning in women. Defects at these levels also affect ovulation and cause irregular menstruation. | |
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Uterine or cervical causes |
| Uterine or cervical causes can impact your fertility by interfering with the implantation of the fertilized egg. This results in loss of pregnancy or miscarriages. | |
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Un-ruptured follicle syndrome |
| A normal follicle, with an egg inside of it is produced every month yet the follicle fails to rupture. The egg, therefore remains inside the follicle and ovulation does not occur. | |
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Adverse lifestyle and behavioural factors |
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Unexplained infertility |
Female Infertility Diagnosis
Some infertile couples have more than one cause of their infertility. In some cases, the cause of infertility may be unclear, or it may take a number of tests to determine the cause. They include:
| • | Medical history |
| • | General Physical Examination |
| • | Hysteroscopy |
| • | Laparoscopy |
| • | Hysterosalpingography (HSG) |
| • | Hormone testing for FSH, LH, Prolactin,T3,74,TSH |
| • | Endometrial Biopsy |
| • | Pelvic Ultrasound |
| • | Other tests |
