Reasons for Infertility in Women
There are so many different reasons for infertility, in both men and women, that it’s impossible to use a blanket term to cover everything. Instead, it’s important to look at various things that could affect your chances of conceiving and consider what diagnosis suits your own personal situation.
Ovarian Cysts
Ovarian cysts are small fluid-filled sacs that develop in the ovaries. In most cases, they’re completely harmless, but they can rupture and cause tremendous pain. If a ruptured cyst is left untreated, it can form sepsis, which is quite toxic and potentially lethal.
Of course, the presence of ovarian cysts can also interfere with normal conception.
Most medical specialists will recommend that any cysts be removed surgically, which can be a painful and expensive procedure. What they don’t tell you is that it’s possible to reduce ovarian cysts naturally and painlessly.
‘Lazy’ Ovaries
Some specialists will diagnose ‘lazy’ ovaries as a cause of infertility. This simply means an egg isn’t being released when it should, so they’ll tend to prescribe infertility drugs, such as Clomid, to induce ovulation.
Unfortunately, studies in Washington have proved that the number of women who had taken Clomid are three times more likely to develop ovarian cancer than those who don’t.
Once again, these specialists forget to let you know there are ways to stimulate and induce ovulation using natural methods. Of course, when you consider that the infertility drug industry is now a billion dollar industry, why would they want you to know you could do it yourself?
PCOS (PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome)
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is the term given when many small cysts are apparent within the ovaries. PCOS is thought to be one of the leading causes of female infertility. In some cases, this can be linked to obesity, acne, increased insulin resistance, lack of ovulation and sometimes an excess of masculinizing hormones.
Of course, this doesn’t mean every patient who has acne or who is obese will have PCOS. Similarly, patients who have ovarian cysts may not have PCOS.
Similarly, patients showing an excess of masculinizing hormones may show unwanted facial and body hair growth as well as developing acne, but they also may not have PCOS.
Correct diagnosis can sometimes be difficult, but treatment can be relatively easy with prescription of a dietary supplement known as DCI, which is a naturally occurring human metabolite that helps with insulin metabolism.
Endometriosis
Endometriosis is the medical name given when the uterine lining that would normally shed as part of a regular monthly menstrual cycle grows on the outside of the uterus instead of inside. This is a major cause of infertility in women.
Endometriosis can cause very painful menstrual periods, as well as heavy bleeding and can be responsible for repeated miscarriages.
Infertility Specialists recommend laparoscopic surgery to remove the endometrial lining and any abnormal tissue, however, there are plenty of alternative natural therapies available to remedy this problem.
There are plenty of success stories from patients with endometriosis using traditional Chinese medicine, including traditional herbalism and acupuncture.
Fallopian Tube Blockages
Blocked or damaged fallopian tubes are thought to account for up to 40% of female infertility problems. Blocked tubes will prevent eggs reaching the uterus and prevent sperm from reaching the egg. In most cases, women have no idea their tubes might be blocked, as there are generally no obvious symptoms to look for. Blocked fallopian tubes are generally diagnosed by pelvic ultrasound, although a hysterosalpinogram may also be used, in which a dye is placed into the cervix before x-raying the pelvic region.
There are two types of blocked tubes – partial blockage and Hydrosalpinx.
A partial blockage may be a result of endometrial lining closing off a portion of the tube, which can result in a tubal pregnancy, or ectopic pregnancy. A hydrosalpinx is when the tube is completely blocked and begins to fill with fluid, which makes the tube dilate and swell as it fills. If both tubes are affected, the chances of conceiving are zero.
The predominant causes of blocked tubes are a history of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, Chlamydia, ruptured appendix, endometriosis or other type of uterine infection.
Infertility specialists will advise that laparoscopic surgery is required to unblock the affected tubes, however this can cause further scarring in some cases. In the case of a hydrosalpinx, a specialist may advise that a hydrosalpingectomy is required, which is complete removal of the dilated fallopian tube. This destroys any chance of falling pregnant naturally in future and the patient becomes dependent on IVF treatments if further children are wanted.
Once again, there are plenty of non-surgical options available to help unblock damaged fallopian tubes. Alternative therapies that include manual physical therapy have also shown positive results.