Female Infertility Challenges

Whether you have been trying to get pregnant for some time or you are just starting out, know that you are not alone. We meet with patients every day who face issues with successfully conceiving. Our team at MCRH is here to guide patients through the process of consultation, discovery, and appropriate treatment.

It is important to remember that while you are not alone, you are unique. Every patient and every situation is unique. There are several factors that contribute to female infertility. While self-diagnosis is not recommended, we do support self-health awareness and education.

Below we have provided health conditions that often contribute to female infertility. It is our hope that you call to schedule a consultation with our care team if you have concerns about your fertility health or are having difficulty conceiving.

Ovarian and Ovulation Factor

• Ovulation Abnormalities and Disorders
  • Anovulation is a female condition that prevents normal ovulation from occurring.
  • Treatment – Fertility medication / lifestyle change
• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is abnormal hormone levels in the ovary that cause abnormal ovulation events. This condition is caused by several factors.
  • Treatment – Fertility medication / lifestyle changes
• Ovarian failure is the loss of the ability to produce eggs. Women who go through early menopause experience premature ovarian failure, which is the inability to produce eggs before the age of 30.
  • Treatment - donor eggs

Endocrine Abnormalities (hormone abnormalities)

• Thyroid disease
• Adrenal disease
• Pituitary disease

Abnormalities of the Uterus

• Anatomic abnormalities are the variations in normal uterine development, which include:
  • Septate
  • Bicornuate
• Uterine Diseases
  • Uterine Fibroids are benign growths of the muscle of the uterus.
  • Endometrial Polyps are abnormal out pouching of the lining of the uterus.
  • Asherman Syndrome is the scarring of the lining of the uterus.
  • Cervical Stenosis is the scarring of the cervix.

Abnormalities of the Fallopian Tubes

• Tubal blockage
  • Hydrosalpinx is a condition in which there is the presence of fluid in the fallopian tube caused by blockages at the end of the tube.
  • Proximal tubal blockage is a blockage of the fallopian tube closest to the uterus.
• Ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that attaches in the fallopian tube instead of attaching to the lining of the uterus.

Abnormalities of the Pelvic Environment

• Endometriosis occurs when cells from the lining of the uterus plant in areas throughout the pelvis, often causing scar tissue and preventing the fallopian tube from picking up the egg from the ovary.
• Pelvic adhesions are scar tissue that develop due to pelvic infections (related to sexually transmitted diseases).
• Recurrent pregnancy loss is repeated miscarriages that can be caused by a variety of factors.

Genetic Abnormalities

One of the things we have learned from results of testing patients for common genetic disorders is that none of us are “perfect”, from a genetic point of view. There are times when the testing results in an awareness of a combination of abnormal genes which poses a risk to the unborn child. Our team can often collaborate with a geneticist to determine the risk of passing these abnormal genes to your child, and we can then review options which exist to address these problems, either by using donor sperm or donor eggs, or by performing in vitro fertilization with preimplantation genetic screening/diagnosis.

• Treatments - Donor gametes, In vitro fertilization (IVF)/Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) or preimplantation genetic screening (PGS)

Hereditary Disorders

Patients living with certain hereditary disorders may choose to consider treatment options that would eliminate passing on a genetic disorder to their children.

• Treatments – In vitro fertilization (IVF)/Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) or preimplantation genetic screening (PGS