Natural Health Alternatives Blog

Infertility Among Females

Female infertility is having difficulty in conceiving or trying to get pregnant as well as carrying the pregnancy to full term. Here is everything that you should know about the stigma that affects more than 15% of couples.

Potential Causes for Female Infertility

Getting pregnant and carrying the pregnancy to full term is a complicated process, and any complication during this process can lead to infertility. A woman who has difficulty getting pregnant or carrying the pregnancy to full term should talk to her doctor for complete diagnosis.

Few of the potential causes for the infertility which may be:

•    Ovulation failure, which can be caused by a tumour, cysts, hormonal imbalance, eating disorder, thyroid gland issue, obesity or alcohol and drug use.

•    Failure of egg maturation

•    Implantation failure

•    Problems associated with the menstrual cycle

•    Infections

•    Structural problems with the reproductive system

•    Endometriosis

•    Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)

•    Primary Ovary insufficiency (POI)

•    Autoimmune disorders

•    Uterine fibroids

•    Abnormality in cervical mucus

•    Damage to the uterus and fallopian tube, which is due to a previous infection, chronic medical illness, a congenital disability, polyps in the womb, pelvic inflammatory disease, scar tissue or any adhesions and DES Syndrome

•    Issue with the cervix

The age of women also determines the causes of infertility. Women over the age of 35-40 are much more likely to have infertility issues. Moreover, in 20% cases, doctors are unable to diagnose a cause or treatment for female infertility.

What Are the Symptoms?

Consult your health care provider if you experience the following symptoms in addition to being unable to conceive a child, or carrying the pregnancy to full term:

•    Fever

•    Unusual vaginal discharge

•    Itching and soreness in the vaginal region

•    Abdominal pain

•    Irregular or short periods

•    Abnormal bleeding

•    Unusual smell from discharge

How Common is Female Infertility?

Identifying if you have female infertility has no obvious symptom other than your failure to conceive and carry a pregnancy to full term. 11% of the women in their reproductive age have experienced fertility issues.

Among 1/3 of couples, who have trouble conceiving, the problem lies with the woman. Moreover, fertility declines with age and affects women greater than men. Women in their 30s about half as fertile as men. Also, their chance to get pregnant decreases after 35.

What Are the Diagnosis and Treatments?

After a woman is diagnosed with infertility, the chances of successful treatment are over 50%, which is dependent on:

•    The presence of male infertility

•    The length of time she has experienced infertility issues

•    The underlying cause of infertility problems

•    Age of the woman

•    History of any previous pregnancies or miscarriages

Laparoscopy is carried out to examine the uterus, ovaries and fallopian tube to check for any abnormal growth or blockages. A doctor may also carry out a Hysterosalpingography (HSG) to determine causes of infertility by checking blockages of fallopian tubes. It is usually done with the help of X-rays or Ultrasound.

Treatments are more successful when a woman is experiencing fertility problems due to ovulation and less successful when the cause is associated with fallopian tube damage or endometriosis. In extreme cases, in vitro, fertilisation has produced successful results. 

What Are the Medications?

The primary step to treat female infertility is medication in which any underlying issue such as thyroid disease or hormonal imbalance is prescribed to restore and increase fertility. Most medications boost ovulation and include Clomiphene or Clomiphene Citrate, Gonadotropins or Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), Letrozole and Bromocriptine or Cabergoline.

What Are the Surgical Treatments? 

• Laparoscopy is used to treat pelvic or tubal disease, open blocked tubes, removing ovarian cysts and treating endometriosis.
• Hetroscopy is used to remove polyps and fibroid tumours.
• In the case of fallopian blockages, surgery is carried out to repair the tubes. However, the success rate is quite low (20%) and also increases the risk of ectopic pregnancy in which pregnancy occurs in the fallopian cell and outside the uterus.
• Surgery is also used to remove uterine fibroids, polyps and scarring.