Are there any signs of infertility in females?
Infertility can affect people from all walks of life, and is something that can have an adversely negative impact on the lives of couples that are trying to conceive.
It’s estimated that a staggering 15% of couples are affected by infertility. This figure equates to approximately 48.5 million couples globally. [1]
WHAT CAUSES INFERTILITY IN WOMEN?
Female infertility can be caused by a variety of factors that get in the way of biological processes, affecting ovulation, fertilization, and implantation.
Problems with these such processes are usually caused by medical conditions that affect the female reproductive system and cause infertility in women.
Some of these causes include:
- Ovulation disorders, which can be caused by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
- Endometriosis
- Uterine fibroids
- Premature ovarian failure
- Scarring from a previous surgery
On top of these medical conditions that are listed above, there are also certain risk factors that can contribute to fertility problems [2]. These can include:
- Increasing age
- Smoking cigarettes
- Heavy use of alcohol
- Being overweight or underweight
- Having certain sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS?
The main sign of infertility is not getting pregnant. You may not notice or have any other symptoms.
Symptoms can largely depend on what’s causing the infertility problems in the first place. Many health conditions can make it hard to conceive and become pregnant naturally.
There can be a number of other signs and symptoms of infertility in women. Changes in the menstrual cycle and ovulation may be a symptom of a disease related to infertility. Some symptoms include:
- Abnormal periods
- Irregular periods
- No periods
- Painful periods
Sometimes, female infertility can be related to a hormonal problem [3]. These symptoms include:
- Skin changes
- Changes in sex drive and desire
- Dark hair growth on the lips, chest, and chin
- Loss of hair, or thinning hair
- Weight gain
It’s important to note that infertility affects men just as much as it does for women. Many of the risks mentioned earlier that affect women can also have an adverse effect on men’s health – possibly causing fertility problems.
HOW IS INFERTILITY TESTED AND TREATED?
If you and your partner have been trying to conceive for 12 months and haven’t been able to, you may wish to seek a doctor for diagnosis and treatment. The type of treatment you will need to receive depends on the cause of infertility.
Fortunately, there are a variety of treatments available to help women with pregnancy.
Treatment for female infertility can involve surgery, medication, and reproductive assistance such as assisted reproductive technology (ART). Sometimes, several types of treatments are needed to help address female infertility.
Surgery can sometimes be used to correct an abnormally shaped uterus, unblock fallopian tubes, or to remove fibrosis.
Non-surgical treatments can include reproductive assistance methods such as intrauterine insemination (IUI) and ART. During IUI treatment, millions of sperm are injected into a woman’s uterus near the time of ovulation.
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is one type of ART that involves the removal of eggs that are then fertilized with a man’s sperm in a laboratory.
Medication can also be used. These drugs work like hormones that are naturally present in the body to either encourage or regulate ovulation. [2]
If you and your partner are struggling to conceive, it’s important to remember that you’re not alone. Rest assured that there are many treatment options available that can help you conceive successfully. Click on this link here for more information about our fertility clinic.
SOURCES:
[1] A unique view on male infertility around the globe (nih.gov)
[2] Infertility: Male Causes, Female Causes, Diagnosis, Treatments & More (healthline.com)
[3] Infertility Symptoms in Men and Women (webmd.com)
