What Causes Female Infertility?

Unfortunately, today, about 10% of women are unable to stay pregnant due to being infertile. Infertility in women is a common condition and it means that a woman cannot stay pregnant or have a successful pregnancy. Every woman who has tried for months, or even years to get pregnant and hasn’t succeeded is typically diagnosed with this condition. There are, luckily, various treatment options, but just like that, there are plenty of causes for infertility. 

Damaged Fallopian Tubes

Fallopian Tubes are structures that carry the fertilized egg from the ovaries to the uterus where the baby would develop. However, these tubes can get damaged which means that they are unable to properly carry the egg and can prevent sperm from even reaching an egg in the tube to get fertilized. There are various causes of damaged fallopian tubes and some of the most common ones include:

• Infections - both bacterial and viral result in scarring or damaging of the tubes.

• Abdominal diseases - including appendicitis and colitis.

• Previous surgeries - pelvic or abdominal surgery  can result in adhesions that can damage tubes

• Ectopic pregnancy - when the pregnancy occurs in the tube itself

Problems with the Uterus

Another common cause is uterine problems. These include polyps and fibroids that can prevent a woman from getting pregnant. Polyps occur when there are too many cells growing in the endometrium (uterine lining), and fibroids grow in the wall of the uterus itself. These two issues can develop over time, on their own, but there are other possible conditions that you may have from birth - septum or adhesions inside the uterus.

Sometimes, there are no clear symptoms of any of these uterine problems, and that is when regular gynecology examinations can help you. Every gynecologist in Bradenton, Florida recommends going for checkups at least every six months and doing pap smears once a year. Also, gynecologists advise you to be completely open and honest about any symptoms and to answer all their questions in order for them to better diagnose any uterine problems you may have. 

Hormonal Problems

Women’s hormonal changes are a bit complicated and the changes and levels can easily get disturbed. This may also be the cause of female infertility. Due to hormonal changes, it may happen that no ovulation even happens in the ovaries since ovulation depends on a balance of hormones which is complex. There are several causes of hormonal problems in women, including:

• Failure to even produce an egg - ovaries cannot produce normal follicles where the egg can mature. The most common disorder that includes anovulation is Polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS. 

• Hypothalamus not working properly - this is the portion of the brain that is responsible for signaling the pituitary gland which sends hormonal stimuli to initiate egg maturation. If the hypothalamus is not working properly, it cannot control this process resulting in ovarian failure. 

Premature Menopause

This condition is rare, but it is still present in women. Premature menstruation can cause a lack of ovulation and its symptoms include the absence of menstruation before the expected age for this. It is still uncertain why this occurs, and some hypothesize that the natural supply of eggs of those particular women is depleted. It is also thought that premature menopause occurs in extremely athletic women with a history of low body weight and too extensive exercise. 

Follicle Problems

This infertility cause is still not clear to medical experts and scientists. Even though we know what happens with the follicle, it is still unexplained. This issue is also called “unruptured follicle syndrome” and it occurs in women who do produce a normal follicle with the egg, but the follicle fails to rupture to release the egg. As a result, the egg remains inside the ovary and regular and proper ovulation cannot occur. 

Endometriosis

This is a serious condition that affects a great percentage of women all around the world. Some even go through life without even realizing they suffer from this condition or are often misdiagnosed. Endometriosis is characterized by excessive growth of the endometrium - the lining of the uterus. This growth, however, doesn’t only occur in the uterus but spreads to the entire abdomen including the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and pelvic peritoneum. 

Symptoms of endometriosis include long, heavy and painful menstruation, going to the bathroom too often (urinary urgency), premenstrual spotting, and rectal bleeding. However, it may happen that there are no symptoms at all. This is another reason why regular checkups are highly important.

Unfortunately, a lot of things can cause infertility in women, and there are plenty of external factors that can disrupt the reproductive systems. It is a delicate system and that is why it’s important to take good care of it. Regular checkups, a healthy diet, and talking to your gynecologist openly are great things that can help prevent infertility.