Infertility can be overwhelming and emotionally draining. Finding an answer can be help determine your next steps and the best course of treatment. Our experts share the top eight reasons for infertility and how you can overcome them.
- PCOS: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is a common hormonal disorder that causes irregular menstrual cycles, infrequent or heavy menstruation, lack of ovulation, obesity, and excess hair growth. One of the primary reasons that PCOS contributes to infertility is lack of ovulation. This can be treated with the assistance of oral ovulation medication, injectable medications, and IUI.
- Endometriosis: Endometriosis is a medical condition where endometrial tissue (the lining of the uterus) is found growing in other areas of the pelvis affecting fertility. Surgery is a common solution that is helpful to both increase fertility rates and combat the painful symptoms.
- Diminished Ovarian Reserve (DOR): Ovarian reserve refers to the number of available egg follicles a woman has. Over time, ovarian reserve gradually declines due to a variety of factors including age, environmental pollutants, smoking, and genetics. Common treatment options include IVF or IUI.
- Male Factor Infertility: Male factor infertility is caused by abnormal sperm quality, absence of sperm, quantity, mobility or shape. Technologies such as ICSI with IVF or IUI can help increase fertilization rates and help select the healthiest sperm. Additionally, a partnership with a urologist may be necessary to provide further care for male patients.
- Fibroids: Fibroids are benign muscle tumors that grow in the pelvis and surrounding areas that can impact fertility and cause painful side effects. Thankfully, many fibroids can be easily removed through minimally invasive surgery, allowing women to conceive naturally or with the assistance of reproductive endocrinologists post-op.
- Recurrent Pregnancy Loss (RPL): RPL is defined as experiencing two or more miscarriages. Although 1 in 4 women will experience a loss in their lifetime, the emotional and physical impact can be difficult. To help women conceive a healthy pregnancy to term, fertility treatments can assist with detecting genetic conditions that can affect a baby’s health, chromosome imbalances, removing fibroids, or providing additional support early-on in pregnancy.
- Ectopic Pregnancy: An ectopic pregnancy is when an embryo implants in an area of the body outside of the uterus. Sadly, pregnancies that result in an ectopic are not viable and often require surgery. To help women conceive in the future and avoid ectopic pregnancies, IVF can be used to place the embryo directly into the uterus.
- Unexplained Infertility: While finding the cause of infertility is often helpful and provides clarity for many patients, one-third of patients are diagnosed with unexplained infertility – meaning that there isn’t a prominent underlying condition or reason to experience trouble getting pregnant. Even though you may not have the diagnosis you were looking for, fertility treatments can still help you conceive. Trying IUI is often a starting point, but IVF is also extremely successful for many couples.
Contact the team at South Jersey Fertility Center for more information.