Follicular-Phase Blood Tests The best available technique for assessing the quality of a woman’s eggs is measuring what’s known as the ovarian reserve – that is, the number of immature eggs left in a woman’s ovaries. (Females are born with all the eggs they’ll ever have at birth. Over time, this number depletes at its own rate in each female.) We accomplish this by measuring the hormones FSH (Fol ...

Ovulation disorders appear to be the most common cause of infertility in women. Ovulation is the monthly release of an egg. The eggs may never be released or they may only be released in some cycles. Ovulation disorders can be due to: Premature ovarian failure: The ovaries stop working before the age of 40 years. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): The ovaries function abnormally and ovulation ma ...

Nutrition – You are what you eat Certain vitamins and nutrients are considered very important for fertility. Their absence stops the reproductive organs from working normally, thus causing complications. The following vitamins and nutrients are known to have very positive effects on fertility in women: Folic acid – for neurological aspects Vitamin B12 – better quality of egg Omega-3 fatty acids ...

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 ...

What causes infertility in men? Infertility in men can be caused by different factors and is typically evaluated by a semen analysis. When a semen analysis is performed, the number of sperm (concentration), motility (movement), and morphology (shape) are assessed by a specialist. A slightly abnormal semen analysis does not mean that a man is necessarily infertile. Instead, a semen analysis helps d ...

What are the causes of low sperm count or abnormal sperm function in men? Low sperm count or abnormal sperm function may be caused by different things. These include: Undescended testicles Genetic defects/DNA damage Diabetes Prior bacterial or viral infections such as mumps or adenovirus Trauma or prior surgeries on the testicles or inguinal region Enlarged veins (varicoceles) in the testes that ...

What causes the symptoms of PCOS? Most of the symptoms of PCOS are caused by higher-than-normal levels of certain hormones, called androgens. The ovaries produce hormones, which are chemicals that control functions in the body. One of the hormones that the ovaries make is estrogen—sometimes called the "female hormone" because women's bodies make more of it than men's bodies do. The ovaries also m ...

What is infertility? Infertility is a condition of your reproductive system that causes people to be unable to get pregnant (conceive). Infertility can affect anyone and has many causes. Getting pregnant involves several steps: Your brain must produce reproductive hormones that control ovarian function. An egg must mature in your ovary. Your ovary must release an egg (ovulation). Your fallopian t ...