Female Infertility-A Problem That Can Be Cured

by Indira IVF Indira IVF Center For IVF, IUI, ICSI Treatment

Overview

Infertility in a woman can be defined as an attempt to get pregnant with frequents intercourse for at least one year with no success. It is a problem that affects a large number of women all across the world. The cause of this problem can be unknown or a combination of male and female factors.

Female Infertility Causes

Causes of female infertility can be tricky to diagnose. Ovulation problems can cause fertility among women. The menstrual cycle functions by different glands and their hormones functioning in harmony. There is a part of the brain known as hypothalamus which prompts the nearby pituitary gland to secrete hormones which trigger the ovaries to ripen eggs. This function forces the ovulation to occur. Irregularity in periods or its absence gives an indication that ovulation may be irregular or absent too.

Even fertilization also has a dependence on the age factor. There are fewer chances for a woman to get pregnant after 40 years of age. The main cause can be ageing eggs. A woman appears into the world with her whole egg supply. As time passes, such eggs turn out to be less viable. Several other risks like increased risk of miscarriage or genetic abnormalities in the unborn baby can be some other difficulties for the older woman.

At the time of ovulation, the ovaries originate tiny blisters or cysts known as follicles. Normally, a single follicle ripens to release the egg. In PCOS or polycystic ovary syndrome, the follicles do not get able to ripen, forming small cysts at the periphery of the ovary and often liberating male sex hormones.

The fallopian tube can also make an impact on female infertility. It is because the sperm fertilizes the egg on its journey down the fallopian tube and if the tube is scarred or blocked, it may obstruct the progress of egg, avoiding it to meet with the sperm. Even uterus and cervix can also cause problems for a woman in becoming pregnant.

Female Infertility Symptoms

One of the major symptoms of female infertility is when she is not getting able to be pregnant. A menstrual cycle which is irregular, like more than five weeks or less than three weeks, or absent can have a chance that a woman is not ovulating. Bleeding can be lighter or heavier than usual. There can be painful periods and back pain, pelvic pain, the cramping may also be experienced.

It has also been stated that female infertility can be due to a hormone problem. At such cases, there can be symptoms like skin changes including more acne, weight gain, thinning or loss of hair, dark hair growth on chest, chin and lips, changes in sex drive and desire, etc. There can be pain during sexual intercourse or milky white discharge from nipples unrelated to breastfeeding. Along with such things, there can be some other things linked to infertility in women and their symptoms vary.

Female Infertility Treatment

Options of treatment regarding female infertility depend upon the cause of the problem. There are some lifestyle factors that can lead towards this problem like cigarette smoking. Intake of alcohol is responsible for affecting the quality of eggs. Some other things like having had a treatment like a radiotherapy or chemotherapy, being very overweight or underweight, taking illicit drugs, or having certain conditions like diabetes, thyroid disease or autoimmune diseases contain risk factors for female infertility.

There is an assisted reproductive technology which can be implemented for some couples conceive. This process includes the involvement of sperm, eggs, and embryos which are handled outside the body. In these types of treatment, considerable time is required and there will be an involvement of a significant cost.

Another treatment is in-vitro fertilization that is the most commonly used procedure for infertility. It is one of the effective treatments and usually the first treatment that is recommended to those women who have blocked fallopian tubes. It is generally performed at a specialized clinic where a hormone medicine will be taken for some weeks to stimulate the ovaries to develop eggs which will then retrieved from the woman's ovaries with the help of a needle. The eggs will be kept in the lab and sperm will be added to fertilize the eggs. When fertilizing eggs later develop into embryos, it will be inserted into the uterus after a matter of some days. A patient will have to go for a blood test for several days to conclude whether the embryo has been implanted into the uterus to form a pregnancy.