Fertility Medicine
Primary female infertility means not being able to get pregnant for the first time after at least 12 months of trying (or 6 months if the woman is over age 35). Secondary female infertility is the inability to become pregnant or to carry a baby to term after previously giving birth.
General Infertility
The cause of female infertility can be difficult to diagnose.
Problems include irregular ovulation, hormonal disorders, damaged or blocked fallopian tubes, thick cervical mucus, or abnormalities of the uterus such as fibroids and endometriosis to name a few. If a woman keeps having miscarriages, this is also regarded as infertility.
Age is an important factor. From the age of 32, a woman’s chance of conceiving start to decrease, and from the age 35 that rate of decrease speeds up. Men aged 35 are half as fertile as they were at the age of 25, and from the age of 55, their fertility declines dramatically.
The cause of female infertility can be difficult to diagnose. It can arise from age-related factors, physical problems, hormone problems, and lifestyle or environmental factors.
There are also a range of factors that can cause female infertility.
- Ovulatory disorders
- PCOS and other Ovulatory disorder)
- Recurrent Pregnancy Loss (RPL)
- Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI)
- Diminished Ovarian Reserve (DOR)
- Fibroids
- Asherman’s syndrome
- Caesarean scar defect or niche
Condition Information
There are many conditions that affect both female and male infertility.
Ovulatory disorders
Ovulatory disorder is a term that describes a group of disorders in which ovulation fails to occur, or occurs on an infrequent or irregular basis. Ovulatory disorders are one of the leading causes of infertility.
Fibroids
Uterine fibroids are noncancerous growths of the uterus that often appear during childbearing years. Fibroids range in size from seedlings, undetectable by the human eye, to bulky masses that can distort and enlarge the uterus.
Recurrent Pregnancy Loss (RPL)
Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), also referred to as recurrent miscarriage or habitual abortion, is historically defined as 3 consecutive pregnancy losses prior to 20 weeks from the last menstrual period.
Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI)
Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), defined as amenorrhoea due to the loss of ovarian function before 40 years of age, can occur spontaneously or be secondary to medical therapies.
Diminished Ovarian Reserve (DOR)
Diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) is a condition in which the ovary loses its normal reproductive potential, compromising fertility. The condition may result from disease or injury, but most commonly occurs as a result of normal aging.
Treatment Information