Female Infertility Guide What is Female Infertility - Delhi

Female infertility is the inability to conceive, even after having frequent intercoursefor around an year, in case the infertility is a resultant of female related factors. This condition affects lakhs of couples in India and around the world.

In fact, almost one-third of total infertility cases are caused due to female related problems.

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Causes of Female Infertility
Before going into the causes, we first need to understand the process of successful fertilization. In general, to conceive these factors are essential: the female needs to ovulate, her partner should have healthy sperms, the couple should have regular intercourse, and the female needs to have open fallopian tubes and a normal uterus. Further, each of the following steps should have taken place correctly. First, ovary delivers a mature egg. Second, the fallopian tube collects the egg. Third, the sperm reaches the egg for fertilization. And fourth, the fertilized egg moves to the uterus and grows there. Now, in a female, there can be many reasons that may disrupt this process at any step, which then may result in female infertility.

The prominent causes of female infertility are as listed below:

Female’s age: An advancing maternal age is related to a deterioration in egg quality and functioning. We are increasingly getting cases of female infertility in older age women, in their late thirties or forties.

Ovulation problems: These occur when a female is not able to release a mature egg, required to get pregnant naturally. It could be due to many reasons such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, Hypothalamic dysfunction, Premature ovarian failure, prolactin excess, and ovarian insufficiency.

Fallopian tube blockage: Also called tubal occlusion, it leads to infertility since an ovulated egg is not able to get fertilized by a sperm or reach the endometrial cavity. It could be in one or both tubes, and in the latter case, IVF may be needed. While in the former case, laparoscopy or hysteroscopy may remove the blockage.

Endometriosis: This takes place if the tissue that otherwise grows in the uterus implants and grows in other locations. This may block fallopian tubes or affect the uterus lining or may affect the egg and sperm as well.

Uterine or cervical causes: These may also impact fertility such as benign polyps or fibroids in the uterus, endometriosis inflammation inside the uterus, uterine abnormalities by birth, like in its shape or a narrowing of the cervix.

Prevention
Prevention of female infertility is certainly possible in many cases. If we understand the risk factors, that may lead to female infertility beforehand, and try to avoid them, there is a big chance that a couple will conceive easily without any medical intervention. These risk factors are as follows:

The chances of conception generally start to get reduced with rising age as the quality and quantity of female eggs begin lessens with rising age. This may make conception more difficult, and may raise the risk of miscarriages.
Smoking, taking illicit drugs, over-drinking of alcohol or too much intake of coffee may harm a female’s cervix and fallopian tubes, making a pregnancy difficult. It may also age the ovaries and deplete eggs.
Being overweight / notably underweight could also be linked to healthy ovulation.
Having a history of any sexually transmitted infections might damage the fallopian tubes and may lead to fertility related issues.
So prevention tips could be maintaining a normal weight, quitting to smoke/take drugs/heavy alcohol/too much coffee and lowering overall mental stress, keeping up good personal hygiene and health practices and going for annual check-up with your gynaecologist once you get sexually active.