1. Egg Production Disorder
2. Abnormalities in the Female
Reproductive Tract
3. Abnormalities in the
Implantation Process
4. Problems with the Woman's
Uterus and/or Cervix
1. Egg Production Disorder
This is the
most common cause of infertility in
women. An inexpensive method to
detecting egg production disorder is by
taking the measurement of the basal body
temperature. Disorders can be broken
down into two types – ovarian
dysfunction & hormonal
disorder and advanced maternal
age.
Ovarian Dysfunction and Hormonal
Disorders
Medical reasons can range from disease
to dysfunctions such as abnormal body
weight composition, stress and strenuous
exercise. (Anovulation, Polycystic
Ovary Syndrome, Hyperprolactinemia,
Thyroid disease, Luteal phase defect,
Hyperandrogenism, Hypogonadotropic
hypogonadism, life styles and body
weight).
Advanced Maternal Age
Advanced maternal age results in
decreased quality of egg production as
well as other age related factors.
Recent studies indicate that in women
over the age of 30, the rates of
successfully becoming pregnant decrease
significantly. Furthermore, very few
women are fertile over the age of 45.
2. Abnormalities in the
Female Reproductive Tract
Female reproductive tract abnormalities
can encompass tubal disease (which is
the case in 20% of infertile female
patients) and pelvic adhesions
(endometriosis). Tubal disease and
Pelvic Inflammatory disease can occur
when inflammation in the pelvis causes
irritation and scarring and are most
common in women with multiple sexual
partners. Symptoms are pain in the
lower abdomen, heavy vaginal discharge,
heavy menstrual periods and pain in the
pelvis during intercourse.
Pelvic
adhesions (Endometriosis) occur when
cells from inside the lining of the
uterus find its way outside of the
uterus and grow around the organs in the
pelvis. Symptoms include painful
menstrual periods, pain during sexual
intercourse and heavy menstrual
bleeding. Moderate and severe
endometriosis can be treated surgically
once diagnosed.
3. Abnormalities in the
Implantation Process Including Early Defects
in Embryo Development
By using sensitive pregnancy tests, it
has been suggested that the total rate
of pregnancy loss after implantation is
approximately 30%. When the loss of
fertilized oocytes before implantation
is included, approximately 46% of all
pregnancies end before the pregnancy is
clinically perceived. In the
postimplantation period, if only
clinically diagnosed pregnancies are
considered, the generally accepted
figure for spontaneous miscarriage in
the first trimester is 15%.
Approximately 50–60% of these abortuses
have chromosome abnormalities. This
suggests that a minimum of 7.5% of all
human conceptions is chromosomally
abnormal.
The fact that only 1 in 200 newborns
have a chromosome abnormality attests to
the powerful selection mechanisms
operating in early human gestation. In
each ovulatory cycle, only 30% of
normally fertile couples can achieve a
pregnancy. Once conception is achieved,
only 30% survive to birth.
Implantation and Placentation:
A normal pregnancy is, of course,
impossible without successful
implantation and placentation. After the
8-cell morula enters the uterine cavity
about 4 days after ovulation, a
blastocyst (a preimplantation embryo of
varying cell number, from 30 to 200) is
formed. Implantation (the embedding of
the blastocyst in the endometrial stroma)
begins with the loss of the zona
pellucida (hatching) about 1--3 days
after the morula enters the uterine
cavity.
Preparation
for Implantation:
The change from proliferative to
secretory endometrium is an essential
part of achieving the receptive
conditions required for implantation.
The endometrium is 10--14 mm thick at
the time of implantation in the
midluteal phase. By this time, secretory
activity has reached a peak, and the
endometrial cells are rich in glycogen
and lipids. Even before the blastocyst
adheres to the surface epithelium, but
after hatching from the zona pellucida,
a dialogue between the mother and the
early embryo has begun.
Early Pregnancy Factor (EPF)
has immunosuppressive properties and is
associated with cell proliferation and
growth. Implantation consists of 3
stages: apposition, adhesion, and
invasion (also called migration to
denote its benign nature).
4. Problems with the woman's
uterus and/or cervix
These
problems include uterine fibroids,
uterine scar tissue, DES exposure,
uterine abnormalities, uterine agenesis
(failure
of all or part of the uterus to develop
during embryonic growth),
and cervical narrowing or "stenosis".
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TODAY at
615-321-8899.
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