Female Infertility

Usma Expert / February 06, 2019

Being fertile or fertility is the ability to conceive or induce conception. On the other hand, infertility is the inability to conceive. In other words, infertility in a female is the inability to become pregnant up to 12 months of regular unprotected sexual intercourse.

Mainly, there are two main types of infertility. The failure of a couple to have any children is termed primary infertility. However, couples who have already conceived and have produced a first child but are facing great difficulty in adding to their family are said to have secondary infertility, which is also called subfertility.

Causes of Infertility

Causes of infertility in women are called female factors. However, it is important to remember that infertility can arise from both male and female factors or maybe with a combination of both. Here is a list of a few factors that are responsible for infertility in women.

Problems with ovulation: Ovulation is the process in which a woman's body releases an egg from one of her ovaries. The main cause of female infertility has to do with ovulation. Up to a third of female infertility cases are related to ovulation problems where the ovaries either do not release eggs at all of the eggs released are low in quality.

Endometriosis: It is a situation that occurs when tissue normally found in the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, usually in the abdomen or pelvis. It often affects the function of the ovaries, uterus, and fallopian tubes.

Hormonal change: Many women experience the ill effects of different issues amid an ovulation cycle. The most well-known is the point at which the arrival of an egg and thickening of the endometrium in, the planning for the prepared egg, doesn’t happen.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): It is a condition caused by disturbing hormones in the reproductive arrangement of females. It lessens the egg creation and along these lines decreases the possibility of getting pregnant.

How to improve your chances of getting pregnant?

The most common ones are:

• Reduce stress
• Maintain a normal weight
• Quit smoking
• Limit caffeine
• Avoid alcohol

Symptoms of infertility

Infertility signs may not be very evident to you, but you could be infertile and suffering from silent changes in your body. This can affect your sex life too. Here are a few symptoms you need to keep an eye on.

• Heavy periods
• Irregular dates
• No periods at all
• Incredible painful periods
• Sudden development of Acne
• Dark hair growing in new places on your body
• Pain during sex

Treatment for female infertility

Infertility may occur due to the combination of you and your partner’s factors that may prevent a pregnancy from occurring or continuing. Luckily, there are various safe and effective treatments and therapies to overcome infertility. Doctors recommend specific treatment for infertility based on:

• Preference of the partners
• Test results
• The overall health of the partners
• How long the couple has been trying to get pregnant

However, in women, some physical problems can also be corrected with surgery. There are various infertility treatments available these days such as:

Intrauterine insemination (IUI): IUI is a process where washed sperm is placed directly into a woman’s uterus, which puts them closer to the egg and increases the chances of fertilization. This technique increases the likelihood of pregnancy in certain couples who have had difficulty getting pregnant. This procedure is used for partners with complicated infertility, minimal male factor infertility, and women with cervical mucus problems.

Hormonal treatments: Hormonal fertility treatment is used to rebalance female hormones imbalances as hormones play a very important role in the process of reproduction. Hormonal treatments are used to help women ovulate or to help them “super-ovulate”, ovulate more than one egg. This treatment is generally started with pills that are associated with multiple follicle growths, so twins and triplets may occur, 20% of pregnancies may be multiples.

Treating Antiphospholipid antibodies (APA's):  APA’s are special cells that are designed to repel foreign bodies such as bacteria and infections. However, in a few rare cases, it mistakes its own cells as invaders and interferes with the process of getting pregnant.  This treatment includes an anti-coagulant such as Heparin and low-dose aspirin.

In-vitro Fertilization (IVF): It is a technique that offers a solution for partners who may have been unsuccessful to have a baby biologically for more than a year. In simple words, the treatment takes the help of the external environment and manual intervention to reproduce. In IVF, the sperm and eggs are combined in a laboratory and the fertilized egg is then transferred to the woman’s uterus, to improve chances of reproduction. This is the most effective technique being used today in case of unexplained infertility and helps in getting around a number of different reproductive problems.

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS): In general, the use of injectable fertility drugs to induce ovulation can cause OHSS, in which the ovaries become swollen and painful. Avoidance of HCG during ovarian stimulation offers an opportunity to prevent OHSS in high-risk patients.

Today, there are numerous ways to treat this cause with a whole new range of medicines. But it must also be kept in mind that these treatments can be painful and may have certain side effects. Though the above treatments are being actively used to deal with female fertility issues, you are advised to evaluate the possible dangers, benefits, and side effects in consultation with an infertility expert.

Happy Reproducing!