| Female infertility | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Cumulative percentage and average age for women reaching subfertility, sterility, irregular menstruation and menopause.[1] | |
| Specialty | Gynecology |
| Symptoms | Inability to become or stay pregnant due to the women[2] |
| Usual onset | After 6 to 12 months of unprotected sex[3] |
| Causes | Not ovulating (aging, primary ovarian insufficiency, PCOS, thyroid disease); endometriosis; blocked fallopian tubes (sexually transmitted infections, unsafe abortion); high prolactin; menstrual cycle problems; fibroids; obesity; genetic conditions; autoimmune disorders[4][2][5] |
| Risk factors | Smoking, alcohol, physical or emotional stress[6] |
| Treatment | Medications, surgery, artificial insemination, assisted reproductive technologies[3][6] |
| Frequency | 10 to 17% of couples at some point[7][5] |
Female infertility refers to being unable to become or stay pregnant due to the women.[2] It represents about 37% of cases of infertility, with another 8% due to male infertility, and 35% due to both.[2] In a population trying to get pregnant the probability is 25% after three months and 85% after one year of unprotected sex.[2] Those who have infertility are at higher risk of other health problems including heart disease.[8]
Common causes include not ovulating (25%) due to older age, primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), or thyroid disease; endometriosis (15%); blocked fallopian tubes (11%) such as from sexually transmitted infections or unsafe abortion; high prolactin (7%); menstrual cycle problems; fibroids; obesity; genetic conditions; and autoimmune disorders.[4][2][5] Other risk factors include smoking, alcohol, and physical or emotional stress.[6] Diagnosis is based on not being able to get or stay pregnant after one year of trying, or six month in women over the age of 35.[3]
Treatment may include medications, surgery, artificial insemination, or assisted reproductive technologies.[3][6] Medications used may include clomiphene, letrozole, human menopausal gonadotropin(hMG), Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), metformin, and bromocriptine.[6] Assisted reproductive technologies include in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection, and zygote intrafallopian transfer.[6] IVF also permits pre-implantation genetic testing.[6]
Infertility affects 10 to 17% of couples at some point in time.[7][5] It occurs most commonly in South Asia, Africa, Middle East, Central and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.[9] In women under the age of 35 rates are less than 10%, while in those 35 to 40 rates are 25%, and in those 40 to 44 rates they are 30%.[2] It may have social stigma or result in relationship problems.[8] A women in a relationship may be blamed for infertility regardless of weather or not the reason originates with her.[5] Treatment can be expensive or unavailable in many parts of the world.[6][5]
References edit
- ^ te Velde, E. R. (2002). "The variability of female reproductive ageing". Human Reproduction Update. 8 (2): 141–154. doi:10.1093/humupd/8.2.141. ISSN 1355-4786. PMID 12099629.
- ^ a b c d e f g Walker, MH; Tobler, KJ (January 2024). "Female Infertility". StatPearls. PMID 32310493.
- ^ a b c d "Female Infertility". medlineplus.gov. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ a b "What are some possible causes of female infertility? | NICHD - Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development". www.nichd.nih.gov. 31 January 2017. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "Infertility". www.who.int. Archived from the original on 10 March 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Infertility | CDC". www.cdc.gov. 26 April 2023. Archived from the original on 5 March 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ a b Nik Hazlina, NH; Norhayati, MN; Shaiful Bahari, I; Nik Muhammad Arif, NA (30 March 2022). "Worldwide prevalence, risk factors and psychological impact of infertility among women: a systematic review and meta-analysis". BMJ open. 12 (3): e057132. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2021-057132. PMID 35354629.
- ^ a b Sun, H; Gong, TT; Jiang, YT; Zhang, S; Zhao, YH; Wu, QJ (2 December 2019). "Global, regional, and national prevalence and disability-adjusted life-years for infertility in 195 countries and territories, 1990-2017: results from a global burden of disease study, 2017". Aging. 11 (23): 10952–10991. doi:10.18632/aging.102497. PMID 31790362.
- ^ Mascarenhas M.N.; Flaxman S.R.; Boerma T.; Vanderpoel S.; Stevens G.A. (2012). "National, Regional, and Global Trends in Infertility Prevalence Since 1990: A Systematic Analysis of 277 Health Surveys". PLOS Med. 9 (12): e1001356. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001356. PMC 3525527. PMID 23271957.