What are the most common causes of Infertility?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), infertility is a social disease. Based on the estimate data, on average every tenth couple in the world has problems with conceiving a child.
With regular sexual intercourses, 84% women get pregnant in the first year, and 92% in total after 2 years. We can define a couple’s infertility as the couple’s inability to conceive after 12 months of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse.
Improper Body Mass
Both underweight and obesity may influence the problems with getting pregnant. The most popular method of determining the proper body mass is the calculation of BMI. Based on body weight in relation to the height of a given person. we can assume that permissible BMI value ranges between 18.5 and 24.5. Higher indices indicate overweight or obesity and lower indicate too small body mass. In both cases, improper body mass correlates with difficulties of conceiving a child. It is worth taking care of your health condition and maintaining a healthy body mass at the beginning stage of planning a pregnancy.
Consultation with a dietician or paying more attention to nutritional choices may be advisable. Sometimes the situation requires a visit to a specialist who will verify whether the improper body mass is/is not related to other diseases, e.g. thyroid dysfunction.
Infections Within Urinary and Reproductive Organs
Recurrent, untreated or improperly treated infections within small pelvis, like adnexitis or cystitis may result in adhesions. These in turn are the cause of tubal occlusion and may result in difficulties with fertilizations.
Irregular Menstruation
Regular menstruation – in the case of every woman – depends on the proper ovulation. we consider that the proper menstruation cycle should last from 21-35 days. In such cycles, menstruation occurs at acceptably regular intervals. If the cycle is once longer, and another time shorter, and a woman cannot determine the approximate date of menstruation.
In the case of bleeding/spotting, which occurs irregularly or between periods, you must consult a specialist in Gynaecology. Typically, the doctor will recommend a panel of tests to determine the levels of hormones. That are participating in the regulation of the menstrual cycle, in order to diagnose the cause of the problem. The gynecologists’ will also perform an ultrasonography and suggest the optimal procedural path to take given the patient’s medical situation.
Irregular menstrual cycles can often indicate a hormone imbalance and result in ovulation disorders. They associate with thyroid diseases, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or luteal phase disorders. If ovulation does not process properly, problems with getting pregnant emerge.
Menstrual Pain/ Pain During Intercourse
Pain during menstruation and also during sexual intercourse may indicate an inflammatory condition within the pelvis or be a symptom of endometriosis. Inflammatory conditions may result from bacterial or viral infection within reproductive organs and their vicinity (appendix, intestines) and lead to lesions hindering or preventing pregnancy.
Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a hormonal and immune condition occurring in girls and women during the reproductive age. It associates with the growth of the mucosal tissue of the uterus (endometrium) and its presence within the abdominal cavity. The endometrial cells produce mediators (chemical substances), which to significant extent affect negatively the process of ovulation, fertilization and later on, embryo implantation in the uterine cavity.
We diagnose the cause of the problem on the basis of performed laboratory tests. By examination of the bottom of the uterus and/or laparoscopy. When endometriosis is diagnosed, therapy – selected by the doctor depending on the stage of the disease’s development and its severity – is introduced to increase the patient’s fertility.
Where the course of the disease is mild or moderate –treatment consists in limiting the symptoms of the disease. In more problematic cases it may, however, require in vitro fertilization.
Consequences of Previous Surgeries
The surgical treatments to which the patient was subjected to, especially within the abdominal cavity, may lead to adhesions which could cause; tubal occlusion – a physical obstacle for a spermatozoon joining an oocyte. The examination allowing the diagnosis of the fallopian tube patency, evaluation by laparoscopy or ultrasound examination, with a contrast agent administered to the reproductive tract. If serious abnormalities are confirmed, the doctor may suggest in vitro fertilization.
Common Causes of Infertility – Anatomical Abnormalities
Women planning pregnancy should visit a gynecologists before they start trying to get pregnant. The doctor will assess the condition of reproductive organs during an ultrasound examination. Problems with conceiving a child can occur in connection with, for example, an underdeveloped uterus or uterine septum, retroverted uterus or congenital tubal anomalies.
Common Causes of Infertility – Metabolic Disease
In case of diabetes or other metabolic diseases in the future mother, she should also consult the physician before starting trying to get pregnant. In some cases, the consequences of disorders may have an impact on the ability to get pregnant. Enhanced diagnostics and taking additional medical measures may be necessary.
Common Causes of Infertility – Hyperprolactinemia
Hyperprolactinemia, the presence of abnormally high levels of prolactin in the blood, causes problems regarding the conception of a child. Prolactin is a hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gland. Its physiological function is the stimulation of mammary glands during pregnancy and lactation. Its abnormally increased level disrupts the proper functioning of the hormones taking part in the menstrual cycle. The symptoms of hyperprolactinemia may include; irregular menstruation, spotting, abdominal pain, dizziness or visual disturbance. Hyperprolactinemia is diagnosed on the basis of tests determining the blood prolactin levels. However, In some cases on the results of supplementary MR imaging of the head and ophthalmic examination.
Common Causes of Infertility – Immune System Disorders
In the case of certain couples, the woman’s body produces antibodies to her partner’s spermatozoa which damages and destroys them. Typically, such a situation is defined as the “hostile cervical mucus syndrome”. By performing a test after intercourse in a fertility clinic, partners may check whether they will have problems causes by such a situation. The immune system disorders may also be the cause of miscarriages; however in such cases the detailed diagnostics are necessary.
Common Causes of Infertility – Male Factor
Despite the ease of access to information, there is still a common belief lingering in society, that infertility is primarily the women’s problem.
Studies indicate that in 50% of cases, the causes related to difficulties being able to conceive can be attributable to the male partner. Based on the observations observed in medical clinics all around the world, for couples facing infertility the treatment is commenced most often only with the woman. Her partner does not want to acknowledge that he also can be infertile.
Men affected by the disease have more difficulties in coping with information about their infertility, and tend to blame others for their imperfections. The news about the problem more often results in the decrease of their self-esteem, apathy, alienation, sometimes even aggression towards their family.
