Infertility in Women: Brief Version

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?

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:

• You may have a hormone problem.
• You may have a tumor or cyst in your ovaries.
• You may be overweight.
• You may have lost too much weight.
• You may be exercising too much.
• 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 or thyroid disease.
• You may be taking a medicine that affects your ovaries.

The tubes used by eggs to move from the ovaries to the uterus may have been damaged. This could happen in many ways. For example:

• You may have had an infection that scarred your tubes.
• You may have a birth defect that affects the tubes.
• You may have had surgery on your tubes.

You may have trouble with your uterus:

• You may have growths inside or outside 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.
• The tissue inside your uterus may be growing outside the uterus (called endometriosis).
• The opening of your uterus into your vagina (the cervix) may be too small.
• The mucus produced by your cervix may not be normal.
• You may have an infection on your cervix.

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 also become less fertile as you get older, especially after age 30.

How can I find out what is wrong?

You and your partner will have thorough exams. You both will be asked questions about your sexual history and your medical history.

You may be asked to keep a record of your daily temperature. This will help you see if and when your eggs leave your ovaries.

You may have tests, such as:

• tests of your urine and blood
• tests of mucus from your cervix or tissue from your uterus.

Your partner's sperm may be counted. He may be making too few sperm to get you pregnant.

Your healthcare provider may want to make sure that your uterus or tubes are not blocked. He or she may check for scar tissue in your pelvis with ultrasound, scopes, dyes, and X-rays.

How is it treated?

If your healthcare provider finds a problem that makes it hard for you to get pregnant, he or she will treat the problem.

• You may need to take hormones.
• You may need to take medicine for an infection.
• You may need to take drugs to help your ovaries work.
• You may need surgery on the cervix, uterus, tubes, or ovaries.
• Sperm collected from your partner may be placed in your body at the same time your egg leaves the ovary.
• Your egg and your partner's sperm can be put together in the lab. Then the growing egg can be put into your uterus.

Your partner may also need to be treated.

All of this can be hard for you and your partner. It can help to get counseling.

What can be done to help prevent infertility?

You can lower your chances of having these problems. Here's what you can do:

• Use latex condoms when you have sex. This helps prevent the diseases that people get from having sex. These diseases often cause problems later on.
• Have sex only with your partner.
• Do not use lubricants when you have sex.
• Do not drink alcohol.
• Do not use street drugs.
• Do not smoke.

Call your healthcare provider if you have any problems. Watch for:

• a discharge from the vagina that is not normal
• pain or swelling in your abdomen
• fever
• bleeding from your vagina that is not normal
• a change in your periods
• pain when you have sex
• sores and itching in the vagina or rectal area.