Some Common Causes For Female Infertility

For some couples, having babies comes easily. We've all probably stood behind the woman with four kids in the checkout line at the grocery store or sat next to the couple with five in a restaurant. For others, however, it's not that simple. Even if we do everything we can think of to get pregnant, sometimes it just doesn't happen. I won't pretend I've had it easy because I haven't, but I know people who have put themselves through a great deal of emotional pain, only to find that there was a medical cause for their difficulties. Oddly enough, such diagnoses caused a great deal of relief; once you know what is causing your problem, you can do something about it. For your information only, here are a few causes of infertility in women.

One major cause of infertility in women is a problem with ovulation. This can be caused by:

-Hormonal issues. Basically anything that disrupts the production of the luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) during your normal cycle can affect ovulation. Stress, thyroid disease and poly-cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) are common culprits. I will discuss PCOS in another post.

-Age. I wasn't aware of this before, but women are born with a finite number of eggs. As we grow older, the quality of the 'leftover eggs' goes down. This doesn't mean that those of us over 35 can't have kids, just that it might be more difficult than if we were younger.

-Weight. Being excessively overweight or underweight can cause problems with ovulation because of an imbalance of hormones. Getting to a healthy weight and Body Mass Index can help balance things out and get you on a more 'regular' schedule.

Aside from the eggs themselves, problems with the fallopian tubes or cervix can cause infertility. Some reasons for that include:

-Smoking. In addition to making the eggs age more quickly, smoking can also damage your fallopian tubes. That and the increased risk of miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy should be a good motivator for quitting.

-Endometriosis. This is a condition where the lining of the uterus is not completely expelled during menstruation and backs up into the fallopian tubes or other organs in the abdominal cavity. Our friend Jacklyn talks more about this in another post.

-STDs. Hopefully this isn't a problem for you, but sexually-transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea can damage fallopian tubes.

-Mucus. An abnormal production of cervical mucus, which can have several causes, makes it impossible for sperm to reach the egg.

If you're concerned about infertility, see your doctor. Also, don't forget that it 'takes two to tango'; it's not just about the eggs. For a woman to get pregnant, the sperm needs to be viable too. Your doctor will handle that issue separately.

In addition to 'see your doctor', here is some advice I've gotten that was very helpful:

-Remember that infertility is not necessarily anyone's 'fault'. Sometimes things just happen. An estimated 20% of infertility cases have no medically-discernible 'cause'. Making out like there's something wrong with you (or your partner) when no real cause or treatment has been found does nothing but harm to your self-esteem, not to mention your relationship. There's no need to put undue pressure on yourself.

Be well, ladies. Be well.