Understanding Female Gender Infertility and Infertility Women Causes

Women Causes of Infertility – Reasons for Female Infertility

The female’s ovulation capability is a vital component of conception success. Simply put, if the female is unable to produce an egg, you can expect to have no baby. Key signs of ovulation problems include either irregular or absent menstrual periods.

Medical Conditions

PCOS and POI are 2 of the more common issues regarding ovulation. Polycystic ovarian syndrome, a hormonal problem, can affect the normal action of the ovulation process. It is the highest recorded cause of female infertility.

Primary ovarian insufficiency, on the other hand, occurs when the woman’s ovaries fail to functioning like they should before she becomes 35 years old. POI is commonly thought to be early menopause, which is an entirely different illness.

Other Associated Causes

There are other uterine problems that also contribute to infertility.

- Fibroids in the uterus, which are non-cancerous clumps on the uterine walls

- Clogged Fallopian tubes caused by ectopic pregnancy surgery, pelvic inflammatory disease or endometriosis

- Physical problems with the uterus

Factors That Increase Infertility Risks

Aside from problems with one’s health, genes and lifestyle factors can also contribute to female infertility. To include:

- Tobacco and alcohol use

- Poor diet

- Advancing age

- Too much physical activity

- Stress at home or workplace

- Under or overweight conditions

- Sexually related diseases

- Health issues that affect the body’s hormone producing abilities

Infertility Women Causes - The Age Factor

Often working women nowadays do not have children until their 30s and 40s…and 1/3 of the total number of infertility cases involve females over the age of 35.

How Does Age Affect Fertility?

- A woman’s ovaries weaken thru time affecting their capacity to release eggs

- Older ovaries make fewer eggs

- The eggs released as not as healthy as a those of a younger woman

- Health problems that may interfere with fertility creep up as the woman gets older

- Older women have a higher rate of miscarrieag

Drugs To Stimulate Fertility

These drugs are often prescribed for women who have fertility problems.

- Clomiphene citrate: Often recommended for women with PCOS and hormonal related malfunctions. You might recognize it by its popular brand Clomid, an oral drug.

- Human menopausal gonadotropin: hMG is an injection used to stimulate the ovaries directly so that egg formation occurs. Popular brands include Repronex and Pergonal.

- Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog: Gn-RH is a medication often prescribed for women who don’t ovulate regularly. It acts on the pituitary gland to influence the timing of ovulation. It may purchased as a nasal spray or as an injectable.

- Follicle stimulating hormone: The FSH is also an injectable and acts on the ovaries to encourage ovulation. Some of the more popular brands are Follistim and Gonal-F.

- Metformin: Metformin is recommended for females who are either highly resistant to insulin or are diagnosed with PCOS. This medication, which is often taken with FSH or clomiphene, can help balance and regulate the male hormones in the female body and eventually assist women in the ovulation process.

- Bromocriptine: Prolactin is a hormone that helps start and increase milk productin in one’s mammary glands. Prolactin in sufficient levels causes ovulation to stop. Bromocriptine acts directly on prolactin, slowing it down, so that ovulation can occur.

Multiple Birth Risk

While fertility inducing drugs are highly successful at helping women have a baby, they also have a high chance of developing multiple fetuses. Women who carry more than one fetus are prone to more pregnancy problems than those who carry just one. Multiple fetuses are also more inclined to be born premature…and an infant who’s been born premature has the greater chance of developing problems with health as he or she grows up.

Fertility drugs can also cause ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, a medical condition which has life threatening implications.

Because of the increased risks to health plus the rising cost of assisted reproductive technology, infertility problems have addressed with alternative methods minus the adverse effects. Such remedies cover a wide range of natural treatments that are meant to assist body healing. Some of the more popular alternative treatments include nutritional therapy, acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine.

Click here for more information on how to increase pregnancy chances or how to conceive a baby

 

How to Deal with Spinal Stenosis

A recent study  published by Boston University has determined that lumbar spinal stenosis affects 4.71% of the general population, seemingly a very low number.  However, 47.2%   of individuals in the 60-69 age group have lumbar spinal stenosis on their MRI scan, which is a significant number.  The individuals  that actually  are diagnosed with severe stenosis will approach 20%.  These patients with significant spinal stenosis have a 3 times higher incidence of back pain than the general population.  As our population continues to live longer, spinal stenosis will certainly be  a significant health problem.

Spinal stenosis is the progression of arthritis in the spine occurring in the neck, as well as in the lower back.   As we age, the cartilage in the discs of our spine will lose their ability to hold water.  The water in the discs is what helps the disc move and remain flexible to bending and compression.  As the discs lose their water content, they become more fragile.  If the  fragile cartilage breaks, the condition is called degenerative disc disease.  As discs degenerate, they will begin to bulge and put pressure on the spinal canal and nerve roots.  This disc bulging will decrease the diameter of the spinal canal,a condition referred to as spinal stenosis.  This slows the information that flows between the brain and the extremities.  The arms will be affected by spinal stenosis in the neck and the legs will be affected by lower back (lumbar) spinal stenosis.

Patients with lumbar spinal stenosis will feel back pain, as well as leg pain or fatigue.  Because of the fatigue in the legs, patients will have to sit frequently during walks.Lumbar spinal stenosis will also cause patients to find benches in the mall and grab the cart at the grocery store, in order to make it through their errands due to the fatigue.  Some patients may attribute their fatigue to age and as they continue to remain active later in life, this may severely limit their ability to join in their families activities.The leg fatigue can cause significant pain and cramping during activity, but is lessened when the patient sits down.  The act of sitting  opens the spinal canal by decreasing the curve in the lower back,which also occurs while the patient is leaning on the grocery cart.

Spinal stenosis in the neck can cause more severe symptoms.The cervical spine protects the spinal cord because it descends from the base of the brain.  Because spinal stenosis in the neck puts pressure on the spinal cord, the disc pressure will cause symptoms related to the spinal cord.  These include a decrease in the ability to walk as well as problems with the hands.  Patients may find they tend to stumble, as it becomes harder to control the feet and legs.  They may also find their handwriting getting severely worse and that they have difficulty differentiating the  size and feel of coins or shirt buttons. 

Spinal stenosis is usually treated with physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medications.  Physical therapy is intended to help position the spine and open the spinal canal.  With better posture and stronger core muscles, patients may find their leg symptoms and fatigue improve.  They may find they are able to walk farther or faster.  Oral anti-inflammatory medications are a first-line option for improving the inflammation related to the degenerating discs.  When physical therapy and oral medications no longer provide relief, injections of steroid around the discs and nerves may  decrease  the pain and symptoms related to the nerve pressure.  Some patients are able to tolerate their symptoms with  a few injections per year. 

When all of these efforts fail, surgery  becomes an option for improving the patient’s pain.Surgery is aimed toward relieving the pressure from the arthritis on the spinal canal and nerves.  The mechanical pressure can only be relieved by physically removing the bone spurs or disc protrusions.  The surgical procedures involve removal of bone and disc, as well as protecting the nerve roots.  Fellowship-trained orthopaedic spine specialists have undergone the most intense training available in the treatment of the spine and are uniquely qualified to treat patients with spinal stenosis.

Dr. Jeffrey R. Carlson is a doctor at the Orthopaedic and Spine Center, a leading provider of Hampton Roads orthopedics services such as Hampton Roads spine surgery, Hampton Roads custom fit knee replacement, and many other services.  The Orthopaedic and Spine Center can be found online at:  OSC-Ortho.com