What is infertility? Healthcare providers consider a couple infertile if they try but fail to get pregnant within one year. When the woman is older than 35, the amount of time trying to conceive drops to six months for an infertility diagnosis. In women over 40, immediate evaluation is warranted. Infertility does not include miscarrying or being unable to carry a baby to childbirth. What causes i ...

Ovulation disorders Ovulation disorders, meaning you ovulate infrequently or not at all, account for infertility in about 1 in 4 infertile couples. Problems with the regulation of reproductive hormones by the hypothalamus or the pituitary gland, or problems in the ovary, can cause ovulation disorders. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). PCOS causes a hormone imbalance, which affects ovulation. PCOS ...

What is Hirsutism? Hirsutism in Women Hirsutism in women is defined as excessive coarse hair appearing in a male-type pattern. It represents exposure of hair follicles to high levels of the male hormone androgen in the blood and/or the hair follicle itself. Consequently, one-half of women with mild hirsutism have elevated levels of circulating androgens, as do most women with more severe hirsutis ...

Genetic issues affecting conception Genetic problems generally relate to chromosomal abnormalities and single gene issues. These often cause embryo implantation failure and pregnancy loss, as well as possibly resulting in birth defects when a child is born with a chromosomal or single gene defect. Chromosomal disorders can relate to one or more of an embryo’s chromosome pairs containing either on ...

What are some possible causes of female infertility? Getting pregnant and carrying a pregnancy to term are actually very complicated processes. Many things can go wrong during these processes to lead to infertility. For this reason, the following list includes only some of the common causes of infertility in females; it is not meant to be all-inclusive. A woman who is having difficulty getting pre ...

Symptoms The main symptom of infertility is not getting pregnant. There may be no other obvious symptoms. Sometimes, a woman with infertility may have irregular or absent menstrual periods. In some cases, a man with infertility may have some signs of hormonal problems, such as changes in hair growth or sexual function. Most couples will eventually conceive, with or without treatment. When to see ...

Risk factors Certain factors may put you at higher risk of infertility, including: Age. The quality and quantity of a woman's eggs begin to decline with age. In the mid-30s, the rate of follicle loss speeds, resulting in fewer and poorer quality eggs. This makes conception more difficult, and increases the risk of miscarriage. Smoking. Besides damaging your cervix and fallopian tubes, smoking inc ...

Unexplained infertility Unexplained infertility is the diagnosis that fertility specialists give an individual or couple when fertility tests can not confirm a definitive cause for infertility. Unexplained infertility does not mean that there is not a cause for infertility; it simply means that the tests and examinations are not able to detect the reason an individual or couple is struggling to co ...