Infertility of women What we need to know

Infertility is a condition where regular, unprotected intercourse does not result in pregnancy.

Infertility is diagnosed:

• During 6 months of trying to conceive, in women over 35 years of age
• During 1 year of trying to conceive, in women under 35 years of age

The cause of infertility can be caused by one or another pathology of the reproductive system of both women and men.

The reason for infertility in women is:

• Age
• Hormonal status
• Health condition
• Lifestyle and environment

Infertility is divided into primary and secondary infertility.

Primary infertility It implies that the woman has never been pregnant and cannot become pregnant with regular unprotected sex.

Secondary infertility It develops after at least one successful pregnancy-delivery.

Female infertility is a common disease and the risk of its development increases with age.

Symptoms

In women with infertility, pregnancy does not occur despite regular unprotected intercourse. It is also possible to break the cycle.

reasons

There are many causes of infertility and it is often difficult to identify a specific problem. There are the most common causes of female infertility:

• near the uterus Related problems – polyps, fibroid formations, scars in the uterine cavity.
• to the fallopian tubes Related problems - the cause of which is most often caused by chlamydia or gonococcal pelvic inflammatory disease. The inflammatory process, like endometriosis, causes the development of lesions in the uterine tubes.
• with the ovaries related problems. There are many reasons that disrupt the regular ovulation process of the ovary: hormonal imbalance, nutritional disorders, thyroid gland pathologies, pituitary pathologies, diabetes and metabolic syndrome, tumors, stress and others.
• with the egg related problems. Eggs with chromosomal or other types of aberrations may not be fertilized.

Risk factors

In most cases, infertility is related to problems with egg development and release. This may be caused by polycystic ovary syndrome and/or primary ovarian failure.

A number of risk factors are involved in the development of infertility:

• Age.
• Hormonal imbalance that prevents ovulation
• Irregular menstrual cycle
• Overweight and obesity
• weight loss
• Excessive physical activity
• Endometriosis
• Structural changes in the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries (scars)
• Uterine fibroid formations
• Ovarian cysts
• Tumors
• Autoimmune diseases (lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto's gout)
• Sexually transmitted infections that cause pelvic inflammatory disease
• Polycystic ovary syndrome - occurs due to hormonal imbalance
• Primary ovarian failure - with a small number of eggs and ovulation disorders
• Consumption of tobacco and toxic substances
• Transferred ectopic (extrauterine) pregnancy

Age is a very important factor in infertility. The problem of getting pregnant increases especially after the age of 35, because:

• Ovarian reserve or the total number of eggs decreases
• Existing eggs are more likely to have chromosomal abnormalities
• The risk of developing other general health problems also increases

Diagnosis

Only a specialist can diagnose infertility. If there is a problem with conceiving, it is necessary to plan a visit to a reproductive specialist.

Important issues for diagnosing infertility:

• Menstrual cycle (duration, intensity of bleeding)
• Transferred successful or terminated pregnancies
• Pain in the pelvis
• vaginal discharge
• Abdominal or pelvic surgery
• Transmitted infections, including sexually transmitted infections

Diagnosis of infertility is based on physical examination, pelvic ultrasound and laboratory tests.

• Ovulation test – examines estrogen and progesterone levels to assess ovulation status.
• Thyroid hormones - to detect hypothyroidism and other pathologies of the thyroid gland, it is important to study the thyroid hormones and their structure.
• Determination of ovarian reserve
• Hormonal profile evaluation - to rule out endocrinological pathologies
• Visualization tests – to assess the structure of the small pelvic organs.

Depending on the symptoms and research data, it is sometimes necessary to use hysteroscopic and laparoscopic methods (removal of polyps and fibrotic formations, etc.).

When diagnosing infertility, it is necessary to study the male reproductive system:

• Sperm analysis
• Hormonal spectrum study
• Screening and diagnostics of sexually transmitted diseases
• Visualization studies
• If necessary, the study of the biopsy material of the testicles

Treatment

Treatment of infertility depends on:

• on the cause of infertility
• on duration
• on the age of the partners
• on accompanying medical conditions

Medical hormone therapy is mainly used for correction of hormonal disorders and stimulation of ovarian function. It is necessary to treat sexually transmitted diseases in both partners.

Sometimes surgical intervention or artificial insemination is necessary.

Prevention

Infertility cannot be predicted, nor can it be prevented. However, some risk factors can be controlled:

• Reducing alcohol and tobacco consumption
• Control of weight and metabolic status
• Physical activity routine
• A healthy diet
• enough sleep
• Prevention of sexually transmitted diseases
• Regular visit to a specialist

forecast

The outcome of female infertility treatment largely depends on the underlying cause. If the cause is ovulatory disorders and structural pathologies, which can be eliminated surgically, the prognosis is favorable. Infertility caused by uterine causes is the most difficult to treat.

When to see a doctor?

The specialist should refer to:

• All women under the age of 35 who have not been able to conceive for 12 months with regular unprotected sex with regular menstrual cycles
• All women over the age of 35 who have a regular menstrual cycle and regular unprotected intercourse for 6 months have not been able to get pregnant.

Laboratory "Synevo" offers diagnostic tests for infertility and related conditions:

The time for issuing research results is not absolute, it can change taking into account various factors

! If the information you are interested in is not enough, please contact us on the hotline - 0322800111, or write to us on our Facebook page, or info@synevo.ge

n.manjaparashvili@synevo.ge