Infertility is defined as the inability of a man and a woman to conceive a child after 12 months of attempting to do so, or six months if the woman is over 35. Infertility has a variety of causes. For more information, click on the bolded name of the cause to go to Body1.com’s listing on that condition:
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID): Pelvic Inflammatory Disease is a sexually transmitted infection that is a major cause of infertility worldwide. PID affects one million women every year in the United States, and it causes infertility in 20 percent. PID can be a complication of gonorrhea or chlamydia, if they are left untreated.
Endometriosis: The endometrium is the tissue lining the inside of the uterus. In approximately five million North American women, it grows in patches outside the uterus. This can cause cysts or scar tissue to form, and it can block the fallopian tubes. Thirty to forty percent of cases of endometriosis result in infertility. However, only six percent of infertility cases with biological causes are caused by endometriosis.
Hormonal and ovulatory problems: Hormonal and ovulatory problems combined cause 33 percent of infertility cases. These problems might be characterized by painful or irregular cycles, excess body or facial hair, severe acne, or secretion from breasts. However, there may be no symptoms. It is even possible to have regular periods without actually ovulating.
Often, hormonal and ovulatory problems are caused by environment and lifestyle. Use or abuse of alcohol, tobacco and caffeine; depression; and extreme weight levels, either high or low, can all contribute to infertility. One study found that drinking one cup of coffee a day increases your risk of infertility by 55 percent. Two to three cups of coffee a day increases your risk of infertility by 100 percent, and doubles the risk of miscarriage. Exposure to certain chemicals at work may also increase risk of infertility and miscarriage. Some of the chemicals that have been shown to affect fertility are xylene, acetone, trichlorethylene, petroleum distillates and solder vapors. These elements of environment and lifestyle can cause a follicle to fail to rupture, lead to empty follicles, or they could prevent the egg from being released.
Other factors that can cause hormonal problems include abnormalities of the adrenal and thyroid glands or a high level of prolactin, which may indicate a pituitary tumor. A luteal phase defect is another possible problem - it occurs when the endometrium (uterine lining) hasn’t developed correctly because of a lack of the hormone progesterone.
Polycystic ovaries: Polycystic ovaries are different from ovarian cysts, which rarely cause infertility. Polycystic ovary syndrome is both a structural and a hormonal problem that accounts for 50 percent of all hormonally-caused cases of infertility.
