What Are The Main Causes Of Infertility?
The cause can be determined to be within the female’s body or the male’s body. It can be determined that there is one cause for infertility or many causes. Some of the most common causes involve the sperm, the menstrual cycle, the egg, or the uterine lining. There are also lifestyle factors that can influence infertility.
Male Causes:
The main cause of male factor infertility involves sperm. Testing may reveal a problem with the quality of the sperm, how mobile the sperm are or in how many sperm are produced. There is evidence that male sperm continue to be produced throughout their lives, though the sperm quality reduces with age. Gene defects can also occur in sperm as the male ages.
Female Causes:
The main factor for female infertility problems are ovulation disorders. Women who have these disorders either do not ovulate (release an egg) at all or they may be irregular in the pattern of ovulation.
Age is another factor with women. When a baby girl is born, she already has all of the eggs she will ever have in her lifetime. Each month hormones trigger an egg to become ripe. Month after month of ovulation depletes the supply of eggs. Some females start menstruation at an earlier age than others. So two women at the same age may have been ovulating for a different amount of months. Each month the supply of eggs goes down and does not get replenished. The quality of the eggs also diminishes in older women with the result of more miscarriages.
Women may also have one or both of their fallopian tubes blocked. Blocked tubes prevent the sperm from reaching the egg. The blockage may also allow sperm in, but not allow the fertilized egg to reach the uterus. This can result in ectopic pregnancy (fertilized egg attaches to the fallopian tube or outside of the uterus. If sperm and egg do not meet, there can be no fertilization. No fertilization, no baby.
Other Causes:
If either the male or the female has had a reproductive disease or surgery of any of the reproductive organs it can reduce the ability to conceive. Surgery could be prostrate surgery in males and fallopian surgery in females, which may be required when there is an ectopic pregnancy. Medical diseases or conditions that can affect fertility are: disorder of the testes, abnormal sperm production, pelvic inflammatory disease, and thyroid disorders.
Certain medications can lower the possibility of conception. Medications such as those taken for high blood pressure can lower a man’s sperm count. Some medications for depression and bipolar disease can affect sex libido.
There are lifestyle factors that can also affect a couple’s ability to conceive. Smoking causes males to have low sperm count. Cutting back on smoking is enough to increase the sperm count. If smoking is stopped altogether the sperm count can return to a healthy number. Alcohol and drug use has also been shown to have a negative affect on fertility. Sexually transmitted diseases can also be attributed to lifestyle. These diseases can scar the fallopian tubes or uterus causing infertility.
A woman being either overweight or underweight can detrimentally affect estrogen production. Estrogen is a hormone that is responsible for regulating the menstrual cycle and ovulation.
