Infertility :: Disorders associated with infertility

Infertility is the inability to achieve a pregnancy after 12 months of unprotected intercourse. Primary infertility is the term used to describe a couple that has never been able to conceive a pregnancy, after at least 1 year of unprotected intercourse. The term secondary infertility describes couples who have previously been pregnant at least once, but have not been able to achieve another pregnancy. (Barren; Inability to conceive; Unable to get pregnant)

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

PCOS is the most common cause of female infertility. A woman’s ovaries have follicles, which are tiny, fluid-filled sacs that hold the eggs. When an egg is mature, the follicle breaks open to release the egg so it can travel to the uterus for fertilization. In women with PCOS, immature follicles bunch together to form large cysts or lumps. The eggs mature within the bunched follicles, but the follicles don’t break open to release them. As a result, women with PCOS often don’t have menstrual periods, or they only have periods now and then. Because the eggs are not released, most women with PCOS have trouble getting pregnant.

Endometriosis

Endometriosis occurs when tissue like that which lines the inside of the uterus grows outside the uterus. The two most common symptoms, pain and infertility, can deeply affect a woman’s quality of life. In many cases, women who receive treatment for their endometriosis pain are able to get pregnant. But this is not the case for all women.

Premature Ovarian Failure (POF)/Ovarian Insufficiency

Health care providers use the term POF to describe a stop in normal functioning of the ovaries in a woman under the age of 40. (Women’s ovary function naturally begins to decline at age 40). In POF, the ovaries stop making eggs and stop making certain hormones.

Uterine Fibroids

Uterine fibroids are the most common, non-cancerous tumors in women of childbearing age. These tumors are made of muscle cells and other tissues that grow within the wall of the uterus. In some cases, fibroids may make it difficult for a woman to get pregnant naturally, although researchers don’t know exactly why.


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