Female Fertility Problems

Most female factor problems involve ovulation disorders. If a woman doesn’t ovulate, eggs are not available to be fertilized. Symptoms of this problem include irregular menstrual periods or not menstruating at all (amenorrhea). Too much stress, poor nutrition, and intense athletic training can affect a woman’s hormonal balance, causing menstrual problems.  If a woman’s more than 30 percent over her ideal body weight, she also may have problems ovulating.

To help solve these ovulation disorders, our doctors must first diagnose your problem.  Here are some of the most common causes of ovulation disorders. (For a description of how we treat these conditions, please click on the left).

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS): Traced most often to chronic insulin resistance, PCOS causes many physical symptoms, including irregular menstrual cycles, excessive hair growth, acne, and obesity. This condition cannot only impede a woman's ability to become pregnant, but her ability to carry to term as well. Chronic insulin resistance causes the ovaries to produce too many male hormones, which can suppress egg maturation and even damage the eggs themselves.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID): A serious infection of the female reproductive organs, PID is usually caused by sexually transmitted diseases, such as gonorrhea or Chlamydia. If left untreated, PID can lead to damage to the fallopian tubes, causing infertility and raising the risk of a future ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy that develops outside the uterus, usually in one fallopian tube).

Endometriosis: A common disorder that affects up to one in ten women in their reproductive years, endometriosis is linked to infertility in approximately 20 to 40 percent of female factor cases. Symptoms include painful periods (dysmenorrhea), chronic pelvic pain, and painful intercourse (dyspareunia). Many women, however, experience no symptoms.