Female Infertility
Female fertility requires a variety of conditions to be successful. If even one of these conditions is not met, or is not met for the right amount of time, the pregnancy may either not happen or it may end before birth.
Most cases of infertility in women result from problems with ovulation. Some conditions affecting ovulation include premature ovarian failure, in which the ovaries stop functioning before natural menopause, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), in which the ovaries may not release an egg regularly or may not release a viable, healthy egg. Among women who have PCOS, even when a healthy egg is released and fertilized, the uterus may not be receptive to implantation of a fertilized egg, which results in infertility.
Other causes of infertility might include:
- Blocked fallopian tubes due to endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, or surgery
- Physical problems with the uterine wall
- Uterine fibroids
A woman’s risk for infertility can also be affected by certain lifestyle and environmental factors, including (but not limited to):
- Age
- Stress
- Poor diet
- Being overweight or underweight
- Smoking, drugs, and alcohol
- Medication
- Environmental toxins
- Genetic conditions, such as being a carrier of Fragile X syndrome
- Other health problems, such as sexually transmitted diseases
