Learning About Female Infertility

Most couples assume that when they are ready to start a family that it will occur in a timely manner, but for many couples this isn't the case and the journey through infertility treatments is started.

Before beginning to look into infertility treatments and workups a couple should try and conceive for at least a year. It is suggested that couples that are over 35 try for six months before they begin pursuing an infertility workup.

There are standard tests that are run to discovering just what is happening during a monthly cycle and in 70 to 85% of the cases a cause of infertility can be determined. Infertility in women can be caused by many different issues, and does take some time to determine the main cause.

What Can Cause Female Infertility

Female infertility can be caused by several different factors including physical problems as well as hormonal. Female infertility can be complex and require many tests before a physician can get the full picture of a woman's monthly cycle.

Hormones are what drives the fertile cycle and if any of these are not working properly can be a cause of female infertility. A blood test is generally conducted first when looking at female infertility. This test can check to see if specific hormone levels are normal such as prolactin, thyroid and FSH. Once blood levels have been evaluated and considered to be normal there are other factors involved in female infertility that need to be considered.

Ovulation must occur for a woman to conceive. In many cases of female infertility the process of ovulation is not occurring properly. There are fertility drugs that can assist with ovulation, but it may take time for conception to occur.

If a woman has normal hormones and it appears that she is ovulating, the next step is to discover if there is a physical problem that is prohibiting conception. Endometriosis is a condition that affects many women. The endometrial lining is found inside the uterus and for some unexplained reason some women develop this tissue outside of the uterus. The tissue cause adhesions and can deform organs by sticking to them and pulling them. The condition is very painful and surgery needs to be conducted to look for these adhesions and then to try and remove them.

Female infertility can take months to evaluate and then treatments can also take time. The process of infertility can be a long and painful one for many couples, but the good news is that in most cases infertility can be treated and couples can realize their dream of having a baby.