Female Infertility Today

The human reproductive process is complex. In order to conceive, the process of ovulation and fertilization needs to work just right. Depending on your health and that of your partner’s, if you’re both under the age of thirty, your monthly odds of conceiving a child are approximately 20%. If you’re a couple in your late thirties trying to conceive, your monthly chances of conception may decrease by as much as 10%. Approximately 15% of all couples, between the ages of twenty and forty-five, suffer from infertility. That is roughly 7.2 million Americans (Center for Disease Control, 2002).

Infertility is a medical condition that affects both men and women equally. Approximately 40% of infertility is caused by male factors and approximately 40% is caused by female factors. The remaining 20% is the result of a combination from both male and female factors or from unexplained infertility. It’s a term defined as the inability to conceive a child after one year of trying, without the use of contraceptives.

THE ODDS :
 40 will conceive by March
                        30 will conceive between April and June
                               15 will conceive between July and December
    15 will suffer from infertility

The most common causes of female infertility include pelvic inflammatory disease, damage or blockage to the fallopian tube, endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), early menopause, benign uterine fibroids or tumors, ovulation dysfunction, poor nutrition, or transportation abnormalities from the cervix through the fallopian tubes.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) is a major cause of infertility. PID is comprised of a variety of infections, caused by different bacteria that affect the reproductive organs, appendix, and parts of the intestine that lie in the pelvic area. The areas of infection alluding to infertility are most commonly found in the fallopian tubes. PID may result from sexually transmitted diseases, pelvic tuberculosis, non-sterile abortions, ruptured appendix, or the herpes virus. Severe or frequent attacks of PID can cause scarring, abscesses and tubal damage, that result in infertility. About 20% of women who develop PID will become infertile.

Endometriosis is a disease in which normal endometrial cells implant and grow outside the uterus causing inflammation, tissue damage, and irregular bleeding. Over 5 million women in the United States suffer from endometriosis; which explain why it’s one of the most common causes of infertility in women. Some evidence suggests that between 30% and 50% of women, with endometriosis, are infertile. Endometrial cysts may directly cause infertility; if the implants occur in the fallopian tubes blocking the passage of the egg, implants occur in the ovaries preventing release of the egg, or by forming rigid webs of scar tissue between the uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes preventing the egg from transferring to the tube.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is an imbalance of hormones in the ovaries that results in the production of multiple cysts. PCOS is one of the most common causes of infertility and is found in approximately 5 to 10% of reproductive-age women. The ovary generates high levels of androgen that prevent the follicles from making mature eggs. Without egg production, these follicles swell with fluid, as well as form cysts. With each ovulation, an egg is trapped and another cyst forms. Elevated levels of these hormones may cause male characteristics, as well as pose a high risk for insulin resistance; which is associated with type two diabetes and obesity.    Page 1  2