When you want to have a baby and you don’t have any luck, you may need to consider working with a reproductive endocrinologist. Trained to detect issues that prevent conception, these fertility specialists can help you reach your goals of parenthood. Infertility can affect the female partner, male partner or both individuals. To begin the fertility evaluation process, your physician will take a complete medical history and then run a full battery of tests.
If your doctor determines that female infertility issues are the reason you haven’t gotten pregnant, several problems may contribute to your struggles, including:
Ovulation Dysfunction
Women with ovulation disorders usually don’t release an egg, or they release the egg at the wrong time in the cycle to facilitate conception. Hormone imbalances, thyroid issues, body weight, and chronic illness can all contribute to ovulation dysfunction.
Blocked Tubes
The Fallopian tubes are the part of the female anatomy where the egg and sperm meet; then, the fertilized egg is moved into the uterus so that implantation can occur. When the tubes are blocked, it is nearly impossible for a woman to get pregnant.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
With PCOS, follicles with eggs form but do not mature properly, so ovulation does not occur. Often, women with PCOS produce an excessive amount of testosterone and androstenedione.
Endometriosis
An estimated five million women in the United States suffer with endometriosis, a condition in which the uterine lining starts to grow outside of the uterus and causes adhesions. Doctors categorize endometriosis by stages, with Stage 1 being minimal and Stage 4 being severe.
Fibroids
These benign tumors occur when uterine muscle tissue grows into a mass. Though they rarely cause fertility problems, fibroids can grow large enough to get in the way of conception.
Physical Abnormalities
A malformation such as a septate uterus, where the uterus is divided into two areas, can make conception difficult or result in recurrent pregnancy loss. These kinds of issues are usually identified through ultrasound, hysteroscopic exam or a laparoscopy.
After discovering the issues preventing you from getting pregnant, your reproductive endocrinologist will come up with infertility treatment options to help you achieve your goal of starting or expanding your family.
For more information, contact us for an appointment, or visit www.ivfplano.com.
causes of infertility, female infertility, fertility treatment, pcos, trouble getting pregnant | Female Infertility
