Common Causes of Infertility in Women and Men, Though you may feel alone, though it may seem you’re the only infertile couple among all your friends, you are not alone in this big world.
One in eight experience fertility problems at some point in their lives. There’s a good chance someone you know has struggled with trying to conceive, but like you, they are keeping it secret about the Common Causes of Infertility in Women and Men.
In Women:
Blocked fallopian tubes due to pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, or surgery for an ectopic pregnancy.
Physical problems with the uterus.
Uterine fibroids, which are non-cancerous clumps of tissue and muscle on the walls of the uterus.
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.
Are your periods irregular? Do you have acne on your chin or neckline? Do you have extra long dark hairs growing? If you answered yes to these, you may need to be screened for PCOS.
PCOS is partially genetic: 24% of women with polycystic ovary syndrome had a mother with PCOS and 32% of the women had a sister with the condition.
Researchers have shown that women with PCOS regardless of their weight (overweight and lean) will experience insulin resistance as compared to women of the same age and weight who do not have PCOS.
If you have PCOS, multiple bubble-like cysts may form on the surface of one or both of your ovaries as eggs partially mature but are not released. These eggs remain in their follicles, which swell but don’t open. A woman with PCOS may have 25 or more cysts on a single ovary.
In Men:
A varicocele is a swelling of the veins that drain the testicle, which can impact sperm quality.
Ejaculation disorders include premature ejaculation, anejaculation (the failure to ejaculate), and retrograde ejaculation, which is when semen enters the bladder during orgasm instead of coming out the tip of the penis.
Prior vasectomy, inguinal hernia repairs, scrotal or testicular surgeries, prostate surgeries, and large abdominal surgeries performed for testicular and rectal cancers risk, among others.
