What is infertility?
Infertility is when you have had sex without using birth control for 1 year and you have not gotten pregnant. It can be caused by problems in a man’s or a woman’s body.
What is the cause of infertility in women?
1. Often the reason a woman cannot get pregnant is that no eggs come out of her ovaries. This can happen for many reasons. For example:
Your hormones may not be balanced.
You may have a tumor or cyst in your ovaries.
You may have a problem with your thyroid, adrenal, or pituitary glands.
Your cycle may be too short.
You may be overweight.
You may have lost too much weight.
You may be under too much stress and worry.
You may use street drugs or tobacco, or drink too much alcohol.
You may have a medical illness such as diabetes.
2. The tubes that go from your ovaries to your uterus may have been damaged. This could have happened in many ways. For example:
You may have had a disease that scarred your tubes.
You may have a birth defect.
You may have had surgery on your tubes.
3. You may have trouble with your uterus:
You may have tissue from the uterus growing outside the uterus (Endometriosis)
You may have growths called fibroids or polyps in the uterus.
Your uterus may not have a normal shape. It may not be in the right position.
You may have scar tissue inside the uterus.
Your opening of your uterus into your vagina (the cervix) may be very narrow or nearly closed.
The mucus produced by your cervix may not be normal.
4. You may also have these problems:
You may have DES syndrome because your mother took the medicine DES when she was pregnant with you.
Your body may be allergic to sperm. It may kill sperm.
You may have a problem caused by your genes.
You also become less fertile as you get older, especially after age 30.