Infertility

What causes infertility in women?

A woman’s reproductive system and ovulation cycle is a complex and carefully tuned network. Because of this complexity, infertility can result from a number of reasons, including:

• Ovulation disorders
• Reproductive organ abnormalities
• Reproductive organ damage
• Fallopian tube blockage
• Early menopause
• Endometriosis
• Adenomyosis
• Uterine fibroids
• Adhesions
• Pelvic inflammatory disease

Several lifestyle factors increase your risk of infertility. Smoking can physically damage your cervix, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. Tobacco also decreases egg quality and quantity.

Drinking too much alcohol lowers women’s fertility and aggravates endometriosis. Being overweight or underweight affects ovulation and reduces your chances of getting pregnant.

How does age affect infertility?

Age significantly impacts your ability to get pregnant because women are born with all the eggs they will ever have. As you get older, the number of eggs in your ovaries drops, and the quality of your eggs declines. Your fertility starts to decline after the age of 30.

How is infertility treated?

You may need a series of diagnostic tests to determine the cause of your infertility, including ultrasound, and hormone tests.

Infertility treatment focuses on the underlying cause and encompasses many therapies. However, the cause of infertility can’t always be identified, which is called unexplained infertility.

The Women's Health Group provides the following services:

• Diagnostic testing
• Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
• Reproductive specialist referrals
• In vitro fertilization (IVF)

If you still can’t get pregnant after your infertility treatment, you can turn to assisted reproductive technology (ART). ART includes options such as:

Intrauterine insemination (IUI)

Healthy sperm are placed into your uterus at the same time an egg leaves your ovaries. This puts the sperm close to the fallopian tube, so they have a better chance of entering the tube and fertilizing the egg.

In vitro fertilization (IVF)

After taking medication that stimulates several eggs to mature, your provider removes the eggs from your ovaries and fertilizes them in the lab. Once the egg is fertilized, the embryo is implanted back into your uterus. The Women's Health Group, P.A. will refer patients to IVF specialists and work closely with them to help make the treatment less stressful for patients.

Third-party assisted ART

This refers to sperm donation, egg donation, and using a surrogate or gestational carrier. The Women's Health Group, P.A. will refer you to an REI specialist if needed.

If your infertility is due to endometriosis, you can depend on the compassionate and exceptional care at The Women's Health Group, P.A. Call the office or book an appointment online today.