Common Causes of Infertility in Women and Men, Though you may feel alone, though it may seem you’re the only infertile couple among all your friends, you are not alone in this big world.
One in eight experience fertility problems at some point in their lives. There’s a good chance someone you know has struggled with trying to conceive, but like you, they are keeping it secret about the Common Causes of Infertility in Women and Men.
In Women:
Blocked fallopian tubes due to pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, or surgery for an ectopic pregnancy.
Physical problems with the uterus.
Uterine fibroids, which are non-cancerous clumps of tissue and muscle on the walls of the uterus.
Ovulation disorders, meaning you ovulate infrequently or not at all, account for infertility in about 1 in 4 infertile couples. Problems with the regulation of reproductive hormones by the hypothalamus or the pituitary gland, or problems in the ovary, can cause ovulation disorders.
Are your periods irregular? Do you have acne on your chin or neckline? Do you have extra long dark hairs growing? If you answered yes to these, you may need to be screened for PCOS.
PCOS is partially genetic: 24% of women with polycystic ovary syndrome had a mother with PCOS and 32% of the women had a sister with the condition.
Researchers have shown that women with PCOS regardless of their weight (overweight and lean) will experience insulin resistance as compared to women of the same age and weight who do not have PCOS.
If you have PCOS, multiple bubble-like cysts may form on the surface of one or both of your ovaries as eggs partially mature but are not released. These eggs remain in their follicles, which swell but don’t open. A woman with PCOS may have 25 or more cysts on a single ovary.
In Men:
A varicocele is a swelling of the veins that drain the testicle, which can impact sperm quality.
Ejaculation disorders include premature ejaculation, anejaculation (the failure to ejaculate), and retrograde ejaculation, which is when semen enters the bladder during orgasm instead of coming out the tip of the penis.
Prior vasectomy, inguinal hernia repairs, scrotal or testicular surgeries, prostate surgeries, and large abdominal surgeries performed for testicular and rectal cancers risk, among others.
Some women have no symptoms of endometriosis!!
NO symptoms of endometriosis?? How?
Endometriosis is a debilitating disease for some (ie. painful periods, bleeding and pain during ovulation, uncomfortable intercourse, heavy bleeding and chronic pelvic pain). However, many women don’t know they have it, they just can’t fall pregnant.
When uterine endometrium is located in places other than the uterus, thats endometriosis. Want to know all science? Then technically speaking, endometriosis is a pelvic inflammatory process with altered function of immune-related cells and increased number of activated macrophages in the peritoneal environment that secrete various local products, such as growth factors and cytokines. What does all that mean? The endometriosis cells implant and respond to the body’s hormone before becoming endometriotic lesions and then scars.
As horrific as all that sounds, there is “sub clinical” endo.
“Sub Clinical” means a disease is not severe enough to present definite or readily observable symptoms. The incidence of “subclinical” endometriosis is thought to be around 42%. It doesn’t seem to matter how healthy you are or what your BMI is.
What we call Endometriosis is probably several different diseases lumped together, not just “one” thing. We suspect it is caused by multiple factors. Unfortunately, much more research is needed!! There are several theories as to why endometriosis occurs. We have not yet found a definitive answer.
Want to know something truly alarming??? There is an average delay of four to 11 years from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis.
Women who are unaware of their diagnosis (obvi) can’t get it treated!!
Untreated Endometriosis and Infertility
Fertility is impacted by endometriosis in many different ways. Scar tissue and adhesions can block the fallopian tubes and uterus. Therefore, the uterus is inhospitable for embryo growth and egg quality is damaged.
During the time you go untreated, the symptoms can get worse and multiply. Pain increases, further negatively impacting fertility.
One reason for this delay, is that endometriosis (many times) needs to be diagnosed through an invasive surgical procedure. Additionally, you may have to CONVINCE your doctor that the pain is not just “normal” period cramps.
Women report that when their OBGYN, or fertility doctor is not the same gender, race, or sexual orientation as as them, they are belied less, and have a hard time convincing. In psychology, this is called “affinity bias” but there are other reasons of historical racial prejudice too.
Women are believed less about their pain, and some minority women have reported being endlessly questioned for “drug seeking” behavior, or essentially accused of having an STI (STD) i.e. pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
How is Sub Clinical Endometriosis Diagnosed?
How is sub-clinical endometriosis diagnose? There is one test, called ReceptivaDX.
ReceptivaDx is a first of its kind test for the detection of inflammation of the uterine lining. Women who test positive for ReceptivaDx are 5 times less likely to succeed in IVF.