What Causes Infertility? 1) Advancing maternal age: Historically before the latter 20th century, women were conceiving in their teens and twenties, when age-related abnormalities with the egg were not evident. However, in our modern era, women are delaying child birth until their thirties and forties, which has lead to the discovery of the adverse effect of advanced maternal age on egg function. ...

Symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease Some women with pelvic inflammatory disease don’t have symptoms. For the women who do have symptoms, these can include: pain in the lower abdomen (the most common symptom) pain in the upper abdomen fever painful sex painful urination irregular bleeding increased or foul-smelling vaginal discharge tiredness Pelvic inflammatory disease can cause mild or moder ...

Infertility tests for males The doctor will ask about medical history, medications, and sexual habits and perform a physical examination. If a test shows an abnormality, the doctor may recommend an examination of the testicles for lumps or deformities and an exam of the shape and structure of the penis. In addition, the doctor may orderTrusted Source the following tests: Semen analysis: A sampl ...

Assisted conception The following methods are currently available for assisted or artificial conception: Intrauterine insemination (IUI): At the time of ovulation, a doctor inserts a fine catheter through the cervix into the uterus to place a sperm sample directly into the uterus. In vitro fertilization (IVF): Doctors place the sperm with unfertilized eggs in a petri dish, where fertilization can ...

Her Risks: There are certain things that apply only to women. Any one of the following could cause problems with ovulation, hormones, or your reproductive organs: Endometriosis Fallopian tube disease Chronic disease like diabetes, lupus, arthritis, hypertension, or asthma Two or more miscarriages History of irregular periods Early menopause (before age 40) An abnormally shaped uterus Polyps in yo ...

Varicocele — This condition of dilated scrotal veins affects one or both testicles. These dilated, varicose veins are quite common in fertile as well as infertile men. This condition can raise the temperature in the testicles and alter sperm production, causing low sperm counts. Because varicoceles do not always explain a couple's infertility, a urologist will consider all the possible causes of i ...

Uterine or cervical causes Several uterine or cervical causes can impact fertility by interfering with implantation or increasing the likelihood of a miscarriage: Benign polyps or tumors (fibroids or myomas) are common in the uterus. Some can block fallopian tubes or interfere with implantation, affecting fertility. However, many women who have fibroids or polyps do become pregnant. Endometriosis ...

Testing and Treatment: The first few days of your monthly cycle is the best time to schedule your first visit to a fertility doctor, so you can start trying to get pregnant right away. Bring along all your medical records, or ask your previous doctor to send them directly to the reproductive endocrinologist. Also, you should make a list of any questions that you'd like to discuss during this initi ...