What is infertility?
A couple is considered infertile if the woman hasn't been able to conceive for one year after regular trying. A woman who becomes pregnant but has repeated miscarriages is also considered infertile.
It can be caused by a reproductive problem in the man, the woman, or both of them. In some instances no cause for the infertility is found in the couple and in some cases more than one reason is found to be responsible of infertility. The number of men and women suffering from infertility are roughly equal.
Infertility is not a single disease but occurs as a consequence of multiple conditions. It results from abnormalities in the function of ovaries, fallopian tubes or uterus in the women and abnormal sperm transport or function in men.
- There may be impaired egg production. This may be due to natural process of ageing due to which ovaries and egg production becomes less efficient.
- Fallopian tubes (tubes extending from each side of uterus to the ovaries and where eggs are normally fertilised) may become blocked.
- There may be failure of implantation (when the fertilised egg implants) of the embryo successfully in the uterus.
- Function of the sperms may be abnormal or their production may be impaired.
- Transport of the sperm within the male or female reproductive tract may be abnormal.
Common causes of infertility
- Pelvic inflammatory disease (pid):
pid is an infection of a woman's uterus (womb), ovaries (which situated one on each side of uterus), and/or fallopian tubes, usually affecting sexually active women during their childbearing years and leading to infertility. It is a result of a sexually transmitted disease and can cause pain and inflammation. Pid can also cause scarring of the tissue inside the fallopian tubes, damaging them and ultimately blocking them completely and preventing the normal movement of eggs from the ovaries into the uterus.
the functioning of the ovaries becomes less efficient with the progressing age of woman. Egg production occurs less frequently. In other words in some cycles, you may not produce an egg. Also the chances of congenital abnormalities also increase with increasing age.
a condition characterised by the presence of the tissue that normally lines the uterus, at places outside the uterus including the fallopian tubes and ovaries. This misplaced tissue results into the formation of cysts and scar tissue, which may block the fallopian tubes. The risk of miscarriages is also very high with endometriosis.
hormonal imbalances resulting from a number of conditions interfere with normal ovarian functioning with consequent interruption in the production of the eggs. Certain conditions such as polycystic ovarian disease can also make ovulation (the release of an egg) less likely.
Lifestyle factors like stress, smoking, and excessive exercise; disorders of some of the glands like thyroid (in the neck), pituitary (in the brain), or adrenal (above the kidneys) can cause the ovaries to work less efficiently; and chemotherapy or radiotherapy for cancer, can lead to hormonal imbalances and infertility.
Hormonal imbalances in men also result into infertility.
the secretions present in the neck of the uterus have to be sperm friendly (having a specific chemical composition and texture) to allow the survival of sperms long enough to fertilise an egg. This composition may be altered by an infection or hormonal problems resulting into infertility.
the function and the mobility of the sperm may be affected by immune proteins called antibodies produced either by women or men. They react with the sperm causing them to stick together so they fail to move past the cervical mucus or penetrate the egg. Sperm allergies produce no symptoms.
Abnormal production of sperm: infertility may also result from abnormal sperm production by men. A few do not produce sperm at all. Some men produce fewer sperm, although this doesn't always results in infertility. Some men produce abnormal shaped sperm, which are unable to penetrate an egg. More often the sperm's ability to move straight and fast enough to fertilise an egg is affected.
