When you want to get pregnant, you might not expect to run into a fertility problem. Female fertility concerns are common impediments in the process of having a child. Fortunately, your doctor offers treatments and technology to help you work through infertility.
Endocrine Disorders
Even if your reproductive organs are working just fine, you may have another medical issue impacting fertility. A common issue faced by women of child-bearing age is hypothyroidism. Being hypothyroid means that your body may not have the right hormone levels necessary for ovulation, fertilization, and implantation. Women with endocrine disorders may be able to get pregnant, but may experience early miscarriages before they even realize they are pregnant.
Irregular Ovulation
Irregular ovulation is a common female fertility concern. While a typical menstrual cycle would be 28 days long, with ovulation on day 14, many women experience something different. Some months you might not ovulate at all, or your menstrual cycles may involve ovulating on day 8 or day 35. Irregular ovulation makes it difficult to time intercourse for achieving pregnancy.
Using an Egg Donor Program
If you do not ovulate or only ovulate irregularly, an egg donor program may be a great option for growing your family. Using an egg donor program involves a screening process. When you are the recipient of an egg donor program, the egg can be fertilized with your partner's sperm or with donor sperm. The eggs are usually fertilized outside of your body and the zygotes are implanted a few days later.
Medical Issues that Impact Infertility
In addition to irregular ovulation and endocrine disorders, there are other medical issues that impact your fertility. Scar tissue in a Fallopian tube may block sperm from reaching the egg. Endometriosis is a common issue in women who have been unable to get pregnant. A past sexually transmitted infection may have scarred the uterus or Fallopian tubes, causing difficulty with achieving pregnancy. Even stress, obesity and being underweight may make it difficult to get pregnant.
Working together with your doctor, you can sort out the cause or causes of your infertility. In about 50 percent of cases, infertility results from a medical issue with the woman, explains the American Pregnancy Association. Elucidating the cause of your infertility allows you to initiate a treatment program or implement an assisted reproductive technology procedure such as egg donation to grow your family.