Infertility means not being able to become pregnant after a year of trying. If a woman can get pregnant but keeps having miscarriages or stillbirths, that’s also called infertility. Infertility is fairly common. After one year of having unprotected sex, about 15 percent of couples are unable to get pregnant.

Dr. Yogesh Jadhav Created on 31st Dec, 20

Causes of Infertility in Women

If you think that you might be infertile, know that you are not alone. Asround one in ten women face infertility problems.

Research suggests that around five percent of couples worldwide have an unresolved problem with infertility. Around one third or 40% of all infertility cases are attributed to female infertility.

So what is causing this infertility problem in you?

Female infertility can be challenging to diagnose. Still, some of them are a combination of factors such as age, hormonal changes, hormonal imbalance, genetic predispositions, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

What are the Causes of Infertility in Women?

For women, there might be several conditions and factors that cause infertility:

Age

A woman’s age is the most crucial factor in determining a successful and healthy pregnancy. When a woman turns 35, her egg quality and quantity reduces, declining her chances of a healthy pregnancy. Most studies have shown that a woman’s chance of getting pregnant after 35 is only 10%, compared to the 30% chance a 25-year-old woman has.

Infrequent ovulation

After age, the most common reason for female infertility is infrequent ovulation. It is an irregular or non-periodic release of a mature egg from the ovary. Infrequent ovulation is due to hormonal problems or other conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome. Under this syndrome, a woman produces more male hormones and does not ovulate regularly. Your follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) have to be within specific parameters and levels for ovulation to occur regularly.

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)

The pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) can be caused by various infections and endometriosis, leading to the damage of the fallopian tubes. This increasing the risk of ectopic pregnancy, and overall infertility. PID usually occurs when sexually transmitted bacteria is spread from your vagina to your uterus, fallopian tubes or ovaries. Symptoms include pelvic pain and fever, which might be subtle or mild in most cases.

Implantation failure

Another cause of infertility in women is implantation failure, which occurs when a fertilized embryo does not adhere to the uterus’s wall. If the fallopian tubes are blocked, the fertilization process cannot occur, and the embryo cannot continue the journey into the uterus, which causes infertility.

Blockage

Another common cause of female infertility is a blockage between the tube and the uterus, which prevents the egg from coming into contact with the sperm. Occasionally, infertility is associated with difficulties when the sperm cannot travel from the vagina into the uterus. It is usually the result of scarring, from a pelvic infection like chlamydia (a sexually transmitted infection), an ectopic pregnancy, or surgeries to remove ovarian cysts.

Women are also under the risk of developing growths called fibroids or polyps in the uterus, leading to fallopian tubes blockage, infertility, or miscarriages.

Endometriosis

A blockage usually happens because of a condition called endometriosis. It is when a tissue that generally grows in the uterus implants and spreads in other locations. The surgical removal of this extra tissue can cause scarring, blocking the fallopian tubes and keep an egg and sperm from coming into contact. This condition can also affect the uterus’ lining, thus hampering the implantation of the fertilized egg. Endometriosis condition also affects fertility in indirect ways, like damaging the sperm or egg.

Other problems

It is important to note that conceiving difficulties do not necessarily have to be a fertility problem for a woman. It could be due to various other factors, such as the presence of a specific type of cancer or other diseases. Infertility can also result from several pregnancies within a limited amount of time.

Problems may also be with the egg or the sperm itself. It can also be due to smoking and over consumption of alcohol, along with other diet factors.

The diagnosis of the real cause of infertility is only possible with thorough testing. So, before coming to any conclusions of your own, you should consult a doctor providing fertility treatment in his/her clinic.

If you happen to be under 35 and you and your partner have been trying for a year, consider talking to your doctor about taking fertility testing to find the problem and solve it.

However, if you are older than 35 and have been giving a try for at least 6 months, many experts suggest that you consult a doctor about getting pregnant normally. But remember, no matter what problems you have, regardless of your age, always talk to your doctor before making any major decisions about your health.