Infertility
There are two types of infertility:
Primary infertility refers to couples who have been unable to become pregnant after at least one year of sexual intercourse without using contraception.
Secondary infertility refers to couples who have been able to get pregnant at least once, but now cannot.
Causes
Infertility can be caused by many physical and emotional factors. It may be due to problems in the man, the woman, or both.
Male Infertility
Male infertility may be due to:
- A decrease in sperm count.
- A blockage that prevents sperm from being released.
- Defects in the sperm
Male infertility can be caused by:
- Birth defects
- Cancer treatments, including chemotherapy and radiation
- Exposure to high heat for prolonged periods of time
- Excessive alcohol, marijuana, or cocaine use
- Hormonal imbalance
- Impotence
- Infection
Medications such as cimetidine, spironolactone, and nitrofurantoin
- Obesity
- Advanced age
- Retrograde ejaculation
Scarring from sexually transmitted infections (STIs), injury or surgery
- Smoking
- Toxins in the environment
- Vasectomy or failure of vasectomy reversal
- History of testicular mumps infection
Female infertility
Female infertility can occur when:
- A fertilized egg or embryo does not survive once it attaches to the lining of the womb (uterus).
- The fertilized egg does not attach to the lining of the uterus.
- The eggs cannot move from the ovary to the womb.
- The ovaries have trouble producing healthy eggs.
Female infertility can be caused by:
- Autoimmune disorders, such as antiphospholipid syndrome (APS).
- Birth defects affecting the reproductive tract
- Cancer or tumor
- Clotting disorders
- Diabetes
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Excessive exercise
- Eating disorders or malnutrition
growths (such as fibroids or polyps) in the uterus and cervix - Medications such as chemotherapy drugs
- Hormonal imbalances
- Being overweight or underweight
- Advanced age
- Ovarian cysts and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
- Pelvic infection resulting in scarring or inflammation of the fallopian tubes (hydrosalpinx) or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
- Scarring from sexually transmitted infection, previous abdominal surgery or endometriosis
- Smoking
- Surgery to prevent pregnancy (tubal ligation) or failure of tubal recanalization surgery (reanastomosis)
- Thyroid disease