Being a mother for a woman is natural, because nature has provided for such a role for her. But some of the fair sex are faced with the inability to conceive a baby. In what cases we are talking about female infertility, what causes it, how to treat various forms of female reproductive disorders - all this is described in the article.
What it is?
Female infertility is a severe psychological and emotional trauma not only for the woman herself, but also for her partner, because once in any couple the question arises about the need to have children. Infertility cannot be normal, because the female body is designed in such a way that everything is provided for carrying and giving birth to a baby.
Very often, women wonder about possible infertility after several months of unsuccessful attempts to conceive a child. However, in medicine there are clear parameters by which a woman can be recognized as infertile. Possible infertility is discussed only if the couple is unable to conceive a child within two years. In this case, a man and a woman should have a regular sex life, sexual contacts should be unprotected.
Direct diagnosis of "infertility" can only be made after a thorough examination. Both spouses must pass it, because sometimes the reason for the absence of children lies not only in the characteristics of the female body. Only knowing for sure that a man is completely healthy and can have children can we talk about female infertility.
If male infertility is mainly based on abnormalities in the composition or quantity of sperm, as well as abnormalities of the vas deferens, then there are much more types of female infertility. The female body is more complex, and the processes that take place in it every month are amazing and multifaceted. At any stage of the functioning of a woman's reproductive system, a malfunction may occur, which will prevent the conception of a baby.
A man is constantly fertile, that is, his ability to fertilize is practically unchanged throughout his life. A woman is fertile only a few days a month, and the number of her eggs allocated to her for life is limited.... When they dry up, menopause begins.
A healthy woman can conceive a baby only in the middle of the menstrual cycle: on the day of ovulation or within a day after it. However, the sperm can wait until the egg leaves the follicle. Therefore, days from 11-12 to 15-16 days of the menstrual cycle are considered favorable for conception (with a standard cycle duration of 28 days). With a fairly long cycle, the days suitable for sexual intercourse shift upward, with a shorter cycle, downward.
We can talk about infertility if a woman knows exactly the periods of her ovulation, monitors the menstrual cycle, when partners have unprotected sexual intercourse at the right time for conception, but the desired result cannot be achieved. In this case, it is imperative to establish the type and cause of the violation in order to understand whether it is possible to cope with it and how to do it.
Kinds
Infertility in a woman can be absolute and relative. Absolute in medicine is called a violation caused by the anatomical features of the organs of the reproductive system (there are no ovaries from birth, no uterus, tubes). When such pathologies are found in a girl, doctors usually cannot change anything - nature itself did not provide for such a woman the opportunity to reproduce. Even the performed plastic surgeries to implant donor ovaries or create missing tubes usually do not give a result and are still experimental. Fortunately, such infertility is rarely diagnosed. It is in most cases congenital or genetic.
Relative infertility is always caused by some factor or group of adverse factors in the presence of normal anatomical data. In most cases, with relative infertility, after establishing and eliminating the exact cause, doctors manage to help a woman become a mother. This form of infertility can be corrected.
In addition, infertility in the fair sex can be primary and secondary. They say about the primary if a woman has difficulty conceiving her first child, when she has not had pregnancies before, including those that ended in miscarriages and abortions. Secondary infertility is a disorder that occurs if a woman has previously had a pregnancy, but they ended unsuccessfully or the birth of a child.
Recently, there has been a significant increase in secondary female infertility all over the world - many women who have children from their first marriage, for example, cannot conceive a baby in their second or third marriage. Even the same spouses do not always manage to conceive a second child. Each such case requires detailed consideration, because the reasons are not always determined by ultrasound or by analysis.
Sometimes the lack of fertility is the result of deep psychological trauma, stress, emotional problems.
In addition, there are several types of infertility due to the causes of the condition.
- Immunological... Such infertility is said to be when antisperm antibodies or antibodies against the embryo are produced in a woman's body. In the first case (with autoimmune infertility) conception becomes impossible, since the woman's immunity throws a whole army of antibodies on sperm and destroys them on the way to the egg. In the second case, we are talking about chronic miscarriage. When conception takes place, the woman's immunity does everything possible to get rid of the baby, because it is only half genetically similar to the mother's body, and the second 50% in its gene code are paternal genes.
- Endocrine. This is a fairly common type of female infertility associated with hormonal imbalance. And here we are talking not only about a violation of the production and balance of sex hormones, but also about a disruption in the functioning of the thyroid gland, hypothalamus and pituitary gland, as well as several dozen more hormonal abnormalities.
- Anovulatory... Even a healthy woman does not ovulate every month. But in some cases, the number of anovulatory cycles is predominant or habitual. If a woman does not mature and does not leave the ovum, ready for fertilization, conception cannot take place.
- Tubal-peritoneal. This type of infertility involves a violation of the patency of the fallopian tubes. First, mobile and small spermatozoa make their way through them, and after fertilization, a fertilized egg descends through the tube to implant in the uterine cavity.
If the patency of the tube is impaired, conception may not take place, or the egg may die on the way to the uterus. Also in this case, it can gain a foothold in the tube, and an ectopic pregnancy will begin, doomed to interruption.
- Uterine. With this type of infertility, a woman has a congenital or acquired anomaly in the structure of the uterus. Such anomalies include a saddle or bicornuate uterus, hypoplasia of the main reproductive organ of women, as well as some acquired anomalies: tumors, post-abortion endometrial changes and other problems. With this form, the embryo has almost no chances to gain a foothold in the uterine cavity, implantation does not occur.
- Idiopathic... Such infertility is said to be when no objective reasons for a woman's fertility disorder have been identified based on the results of the examination. Her reproductive organs are in perfect order, there is no immunological factor, everything is in order with the hormonal background, ovulation occurs, but conception does not occur. This is the most mysterious form of pathology, since no one knows what exactly to do with it.
Quite often, psychological infertility is "masked" in this way, and a woman who undergoes a detailed diagnostic examination hears the diagnosis "idiopathic infertility", because the real reason lies in the psyche and emotional state.
In most cases, women are dominated by such types of infertility as hormonal, anovulatory, uterine and tubo-peritoneal. They account for up to 80% of all cases. Often, the types of infertility are diagnosed as mixed, for example, hormonal imbalance resulting in ovarian dysfunction and menstrual irregularities or anovulatory cycles. In this case, infertility is considered endocrine-anovulatory, and hormonal imbalance against the background of simultaneous obstruction of the fallopian tubes is an endocrine-tubular form of infertility.
About 30% of all cases of infertility are in the variant of the uterine form - endometrioid type of infertility. About 7% of cases are attributed to immune infertility, and almost 15% of couples after examination are recognized as completely healthy, that is, infertility in their case has an idiopathic form.
For successful treatment, it is not so much the type of infertility that is important as the correct determination of its root cause. If there are several reasons, then it is important to determine the main factor that launched a cascade of undesirable processes and changes in the female body.
Causes and symptoms
There are many reasons why female reproductive function may be impaired.
Hormones
In the overwhelming majority of cases in women with hormonal infertility, conception is prevented by an increased production of prolactin, as well as problems with sex and thyroid-stimulating hormones. Such a pathology can develop due to a malfunction of the gonads, thyroid gland, as well as the pituitary gland and hypothalamus.
Hypothalamic-pituitary disorders can develop as long-term consequences of traumatic brain injury, chest injuries, and brain tumors. In this case, the production of prolactin increases, which suppresses the production of follicle-stimulating hormones. In a woman's body, the ovum does not develop and does not mature, the ovaries lose their functions. Symptoms of this condition are quite typical: in a woman they become very irregular, and then rare, until complete disappearance, menstruation.
Hyperandrogenism can also cause infertility. This complex term denotes an excess of the production of male sex hormones. A small amount of them is very important for the normal functioning of the female body, but the excess, on the contrary, suppresses reproductive functions. Male hormones are produced by the adrenal cortex and ovaries.
Symptoms of such endocrine infertility also have a very characteristic picture: a woman is obese, her hair grows in a male pattern (mustache or even a beard, there is hair on the chest or back). Menstruation is irregular, sometimes uterine bleeding may occur in the middle of the cycle, and menstruation may be absent for several months.
Women with thyroid diseases may not only experience difficulties with conception, but also risk not bearing a baby if conception did take place. In addition, with a toxic goiter, the likelihood of having a child with developmental abnormalities significantly increases.
When the balance of estrogen and progesterone is disturbed, it is quite often possible to conceive a baby, but it is almost impossible to endure it without the intervention of doctors. Endocrine disorders in a woman's body often cause liver cirrhosis, severe heart and kidney diseases, as well as cancer, tuberculosis and hepatitis.
Women with a lot of extra pounds and underweight are prone to endocrine infertility. That is why too thin and too fat ladies are frequent patients of reproductive specialists.
With almost all hormonal disorders, women note such a striking distinguishing feature as menstrual irregularities. Your periods may start a week or six months late, and they may be excessively profuse or very scarce. Every second woman with endocrine disorders does not ovulate. Often among the additional signs are such as the discharge of colostrum from the nipples, engorgement and pain in the mammary glands, pulling pains and a feeling of heaviness in the lower abdomen and lower back.
Women may experience increased acne, the appearance of strange age spots, hair loss. Stretch marks form on the skin, blood pressure is very unstable, before the onset of menstruation, a woman notes a significant deterioration in well-being and a severe emotional "swing"
If it is not possible to conceive a baby, and a woman notes such symptoms and signs, she should be examined by a gynecologist and endocrinologist in order to establish which hormones prevail and what is lacking to correct the condition.
Obstruction of the fallopian tubes
One impassable tube reduces the chances of conceiving a baby by 50%, but in this case they do not talk about infertility. A woman with bilateral obstruction of the fallopian tubes is considered infertile. Usually, a violation of the lumen of the fallopian tubes is not an independent disease, but acts as a consequence of other diseases.
The most common provoking factor is inflammation in the ovaries. The pipes become denser and finally "stick together". A postponed ectopic pregnancy, appendicitis, infectious diseases, including ureaplasma, chlamydia, can cause obstruction. Among the common causes of obstruction are fibroids, a history of abortion, as well as trauma to the abdominal organs, which resulted in their deformation.
For this reason, infertility is diagnosed in about one in four women who see a doctor after several years of unsuccessful pregnancy planning. There may be no symptoms - the main symptom is the lack of conception. But concomitant diseases that lead to obstruction usually have clinical symptoms.
Since inflammatory and infectious causes prevail, a woman may pay attention to the appearance of pain in the lower abdomen and on the sides, in the lower back, unusual discharge with a yellow, greenish, gray and brown tint and a very unpleasant odor, sometimes accompanied by itching. Painful sensations are often observed during intercourse and during menstruation. Menses are most often profuse.
If such symptoms are found and the desired pregnancy is absent, you need to visit a gynecologist as soon as possible and get tested for infections and microflora. This will allow early detection of inflammation and start treatment.
Quite often, this form is found among secondary cases of infertility. It is caused by surgical intervention on the pelvic organs, the presence of adhesions, as well as injuries in previous births.
Sometimes pipes are also called impassable if they do not have sufficient contractile ability, that is, they cannot help the egg cell move into the uterine cavity. The disorder can be caused by genetic causes, microbial inflammation, as well as some hormonal disorders. If a girl had inflammation of the appendages in adolescence, then the likelihood of obstruction of the fallopian tubes at a more mature age increases by 60%.
Immunological forms
Antisperm antibodies, which are produced by female immunity, are most often found in cervical mucus. The cervical factor makes conception almost impossible, because the sperm are neutralized even before they enter the uterine cavity. Sometimes antibodies are contained in the intrauterine fluid, in which case the male reproductive cells do not enter the fallopian tubes and cannot reach the ovum even with regular ovulation.
During ovulation, a healthy woman produces a sufficient number of T-suppressors that suppress the activity of antisperm antibodies. They can be produced in everyone, because sperm cells are in no way related to the female body. In case of immune infertility, T-suppressors are produced insufficiently or not at all, and the amount of antibodies exceeds the permissible norms.
The causes of this form of infertility are quite complex, and not all of them are fully understood. Most often, the pathology develops due to the contact of the woman's body with sperm, which has an increased content of leukocytes or bacterial flora. Doctors believe that frequent anal and oral sex increases the likelihood of developing this form of infertility, because with them, sperm enters the gastrointestinal tract and triggers a certain immune response.
The cause of the pathology may be incorrect attempts at artificial insemination, coagulation of cervical erosion, hormonal disruption that arose when an IVF attempt was unsuccessful, when an intrauterine device was installed.
In fairness, it should be noted that immune infertility occurs with the same frequency in men, and sperm itself may contain antisperm antibodies.
There are no symptoms of immunological infertility. Partners do not feel the destructive microscopic processes that occur after ejaculation. The only sign indicating possible autoimmune or immune infertility is the very fact of the absence of pregnancy for quite a long time. In women, the menstrual cycle is not disturbed, there are no pains, unusual discharge, the examination does not reveal pathologies from the genitals and pelvic organs, the hormonal background is within normal limits.
If a woman has impaired immune factors at the level of implantation of a fertilized ovum, she may notice small delays in menstruation for 5-7 days, after which heavy than usual menstruation begins. At the same time, women do not even know about pregnancy, which nevertheless was, but did not take root in the uterus, finding other explanations for the delay.
Pathology of the uterus
Congenital uterine abnormalities are not as common as it might seem. Most of the uterine infertility is acquired diseases and abnormalities of the female reproductive organ.
In the first place among the reasons are performed abortions and medical curettage. Such interventions disrupt the structure of the inner layer of the uterus, which is responsible for the successful implantation and development of the embryo. After them, endometriosis, endometrial polyps can develop. An increase in the level of estrogen in the body of the fair sex also leads to endometrial disorders.
Every fifth woman of reproductive age with uterine factor of infertility is prevented from getting pregnant by myomatous nodes, and every second woman is having endometriosis. Synechiae in the uterus also create a mechanical obstacle to pregnancy. They can form after abortion, endometritis, or genital tuberculosis. Also, the uterine form of infertility is characteristic of women who have been protected for a long time using an intrauterine device.
Unsuccessful curettage of the uterine cavity or complicated childbirth, after which parts of the placenta or bone remains of the fetus remain, are also prerequisites for the development of subsequent secondary infertility. Cervical factor - polyps and cervical hypertrophy.
Symptoms, as in the case of pipes, may not be present if the underlying disease does not give an obvious clinical picture. If the uterine form of infertility is associated with endometriosis, then the appearance of smearing brownish discharge on the days between the next menstruation is possible. If the inability to conceive a baby is associated with fibroids, then the symptoms will be more pronounced - constipation, profuse and painful periods. With synechiae, menstruation is scanty and rare, up to complete amenorrhea (absence of menstruation).
In view of the rather high prevalence of this form of female infertility, the gynecologist will first check the condition of the uterus of the patient who has applied to him.
Psychosexual disorders
Psychosexual disorders are the most controversial forms of female infertility. The reason for the absence of the desired pregnancy can be constant stress, conflicts at work, at home, excessive stress.
Recently, more and more often, women who do not have obvious medical reasons for infertility are advised to consult a psychotherapist or psychosomat specialist. They will help to discover the hidden reasons why a woman's body refuses to strive for motherhood.
Among the psychological reasons for the absence of pregnancy, the most common are negative experiences from childhood: girls who have been abused by their mothers, fathers, incest victims often cannot conceive a child at a conscious age due to some difficult “blocks” that prevent this. Pregnancy quite often does not occur in a couple where a woman does not love and does not want a spouse, even if intercourse between them occurs regularly.
Uncertainty of a woman in the future, difficult financial situation, lack of housing, assistance from relatives are also often the reason why pregnancy does not occur. Doctors in this case only shrug their shoulders - idiopathic infertility, it is not known what to do.
A good therapist has many ways in his arsenal to identify the reasons for a woman's unwillingness to have children. It is precisely about unwillingness, which she herself is not aware of. A psychosomatics specialist can help to understand the past, as well as the woman's idea of the present, the future, to help get rid of negative attitudes.
Of particular note is psychological infertility, which develops against the background of an obsessive desire to have a child. If a woman focuses all her strength on this task, when all her thoughts are only about whether or not she succeeded in conceiving a baby this month, then gradually stress hormones become natural for her hormonal levels, and the production of some sex hormones decreases. Pregnancy does not occur just because by her experiences a woman makes herself sterile.
If you manage to calm down and stop thinking about conception, then everything is restored and, as a rule, the woman becomes pregnant. The most common example is adopted children. As soon as a couple is tired of fighting, accepting and admitting the fact of idiopathic infertility and deciding to take a child from an orphanage or a baby's home, a certain calming sets in. The woman focuses on other issues and tasks, on taking care of the child. After a few menstrual cycles, it is quite possible that she will discover pregnancy to her great surprise and the surprise of everyone she knows.
Psychological reasons for the absence of pregnancy quite often develop in women who behave like men: they wear men's clothes, work in men's positions, do everything themselves, and also constantly strive for domination and independence. Also in psychosomatics, a special place is given to the paternal factor - more often girls who grew up in a family with a weak-willed, weak-willed father suffer from a decrease in fertility and opportunities.
Another fairly common reason for not getting pregnant is fear. A woman may not become pregnant just because, subconsciously, she is terribly afraid of labor pain, the birth of a disabled child, as well as sexual intercourse during pregnancy.
Whatever it was, stress is an adaptive mechanism, it always seeks to cause such changes in the body so that they go to him (the body) exclusively for the benefit. If a woman is afraid of childbirth, stress hormones will block sex hormones to prevent pregnancy. If there is a negative experience from the past, then stress will not allow the onset of an "interesting" situation due to the fact that there is fear of motherhood and a subconscious desire to prevent it.
Diagnostics
In the absence of pregnancy for a year or more, a woman should definitely consult a gynecologist. This specialist will draw up a detailed questionnaire that will include the woman's complaints and her obstetric history. It is imperative to inform the doctor about the duration of the last three menstrual cycles, the duration of delays, if any, the nature of menstrual bleeding (profusion, uniformity, pain syndrome).
The woman must be informed about all pregnancies that she had before and their outcome. If there are complaints of any pain, unusual discharge, soreness in the area of the mammary glands, then you must definitely tell the doctor about them. Also, the hereditary factor deserves special attention. If the patient's mother or grandmother had gynecological problems, they should definitely be discussed at the initial conversation.
The diagnostic task will be greatly simplified if the woman provides the doctor with the results of her partner's sperm analysis - a spermogram that will reflect the partner's reproductive health. Then the search area will be limited to the female body.
Further actions of the doctor will be to choose the methods of examining the woman. All methods that are used to diagnose female infertility are divided into general and special ones. The general ones include the determination of weight, height, blood pressure level, condition of the skin and hair, body type. Special methods include instrumental, laboratory and functional tests.
During a gynecological examination, the doctor will pay attention to the structure and anatomical features of the genitals, uterus, cervix, ligamentous apparatus, as well as assess the discharge from the genital tract and take a smear on the vaginal microflora.
A woman may be advised to start measuring basal temperature. To do this, from the first day after the end of the next menstruation, it is necessary to find out the temperature in the anus in the morning, without getting out of bed after waking up. The woman should record and draw up the results in the form of a graph. After a month, the doctor will be able to assess the menstrual cycle, understand how the ovaries work, and whether ovulation itself is occurring.
Cervical mucus undergoes a laboratory study, during which its index is determined in points. The closer the result to normal, the more reason to say that a woman is doing well with estrogens. A study is also being conducted, which is called the postcoital test. Its essence lies in determining the activity of spermatozoa some time after they enter the genital tract. This method is necessary to exclude immunological infertility.
The most important for the diagnosis of female infertility are hormonal tests of urine and blood. It is important for a woman to remember that they should not be taken after examination by a doctor, after sexual intercourse, early in the morning, because the level of hormones after the above actions changes. To determine the features of the work of the adrenal cortex, urine is taken for DHEA-S and 17-ketosteroids. You can do this analysis on any day of the menstrual cycle.
On the 5-7th day of the cycle, you should take a blood test for testosterone, prolactin, cortisol. At the same time, it is best to test for thyroid hormones (T3, T4, TSH).
On the 20-22 day of the cycle (it should be counted from the first day of menstruation), an analysis can be made for the concentration of progesterone in the blood. This study will provide an opportunity to understand whether ovulation has occurred, as well as whether the level of progesterone is sufficient to support pregnancy, if it did take place.
When a woman has menstrual irregularities, blood tests for LH, FSH, estradiol are recommended for her.
Among the hormonal tests, a progesterone or estrogen-progestogen test, as well as a clomiphene test or a dexamethasone test, can be prescribed. The essence of such tests is reduced to a simple clinical experiment. A certain hormonal substance is administered to a woman, and through laboratory tests of her blood and urine, changes in the body are monitored.
Without fail, all women who have difficulties with natural conception are prescribed tests for infections such as chlamydia, toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus infection, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis and genital herpes. The causative agents of these diseases seriously affect the reproductive functions, and the woman herself may not even suspect that she is sick with cytomegalovirus or mycoplasmosis.
X-ray of the small pelvis is mandatory, as well as colposcopy, which allows you to study the condition and structure of the cervix. If an inflammatory process is found in the cervix, it is imperative to find out its true cause and pathogen.
All women are prescribed vaginal ultrasound to assess the size of the uterus, ovaries, and the presence of tubes. If at the same time a uterine type of infertility is detected, the patient will be asked to undergo fluorography of the lungs and make tuberculin tests to exclude tuberculosis.
Hysterosalpingography is considered an informative research method. This is an x-ray of the uterus and its appendages, which allows you to see tumors, nodes, as well as obstruction of the fallopian tubes, which usually cannot be seen on ultrasound. A woman whose doctor suspects that she is not fertile due to a condition of the endometrium may have a diagnostic curettage. The endometrial sample is then sent for histological examination.
Sometimes there is a need for surgical diagnostics - diagnostic laparoscopy or hysteroscopy. Hysteroscopy has recently become a national standard for screening female infertility. As part of this procedure, a small hysteroscope camera is inserted into the uterus, which shows the state of the uterine cavity, cervical canal. This study is carried out in a hospital under general anesthesia.
Diagnostic laparoscopy is performed to examine the fallopian tubes and ovaries. For this, a small incision is made in the anterior abdominal wall through which a laparoscope is inserted. An image of internal processes and features is transmitted to the screen in real time. This method is very popular for suspected ectopic pregnancy, obstruction of the fallopian tubes, adhesions in the pelvis, and ovarian cysts. The procedure is also performed under general anesthesia in a hospital setting.
You should not be afraid of surgical diagnostics for infertility. Usually, 2-3 days after the procedure, a woman can leave the hospital and go home. And the value of the information obtained as a result of the survey is difficult to compare with other research methods - it is immeasurably higher.
After identifying the cause or complex of reasons, the doctor prescribes treatment and evaluates the prognosis.
Treatment
Treatment begins as soon as the cause is established. First of all, it is necessary to eliminate the very cause. If this is inflammation, the woman is prescribed a course of anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics - it all depends on the type and location of the inflammatory process. If the cause is hormonal disorders, hormone therapy is performed. When infertility is associated with anovulation, drugs are prescribed to stimulate ovulation in dosages that directly depend on the degree and type of violation.
If drug therapy is not feasible, for example, for polyps, the woman undergoes surgery to help eliminate the root cause of the lack of fertility. After the recovery process, the patient can begin planning a pregnancy. If the cause of infertility cannot be eliminated and corrected with medications or a scalpel, the woman is offered methods of assisted reproductive medicine - IVF.
With obesity, women are advised to start losing weight - dropping only 5% of body weight several times increases the likelihood of conceiving naturally. Women who have not identified pathologies are advised to visit a psychotherapist or psychosomat. A course of hypnotherapy, physiotherapy, as well as taking vitamins and sedatives can completely eliminate the psychogenic cause of infertility.
When the reason for the absence of pregnancy is in violation of ovulation, then stimulating treatment is prescribed, which is carried out under the control of ultrasound, so doctors can monitor the process of follicle maturation. 70% of women such treatment helps to become mothers. If infertility is due to an age-related decrease in fertility (a woman wanted to become a mother at 40, but it does not work), intensive hormonal therapy is also carried out.
In the event that the reason lies in the obstruction of the tubes, a laparoscopic operation is performed. It allows you to restore the lumen of the fallopian tubes in about 40% of cases. IVF is recommended for other women, including those with advanced, long-term forms of tubal obstruction.
Surgeries for uterine infertility are mainly cosmetic and reconstructive. The effectiveness of such treatment is about 20%, that is, every fifth patient manages to become pregnant independently after the operation. In some cases (for example, in the absence of a uterus or its gross anomaly), only a surrogate mother can bear and give birth to a child.
With endometriosis, the affected areas of the epithelium are surgically cauterized, and every third infertile woman with this diagnosis manages to become pregnant after a course of treatment.
Quite often, it is enough for the female sex to carry out a general conservative treatment, which improves the quality of the eggs and helps to normalize the menstrual cycle. Usually prescribed drugs and dietary supplements such as "Ovariamin", "Vasalamin" and "Inositol", which is also called "the vitamin of youth". And in case of inflammatory and adhesive processes, Longidaza candles and Laennek injectable medicine, which is produced on the basis of processed placental tissue, are very popular.
A woman is definitely recommended vitamins and vitamin complexes rich in vitamins A, E, D, as well as folic acid and magnesium. Folk remedies offer decoctions of the herb of the upland uterus, as well as chamomile and sage. It is important to eat right and monitor your weight and drinking regime.
If pills, shots, and other medications don't work, doctors may recommend artificial insemination. The indications for it are:
- lack of effect from surgical or conservative treatment;
- the presence of bilateral obstruction of pipes;
- endocrine infertility, which cannot be corrected by hormones (Proginova, Progesterone, HCG do not work for several courses of treatment);
- depleted ovaries;
- any pathology in which natural pregnancy is physically impossible;
- lack of pipes;
- certain forms of uterine infertility.
Artificial insemination
You can treat assisted reproductive methods in different ways, but the fact remains that they are sometimes the only way to learn the joy of motherhood. If the doctor suggests AI, you should not refuse. It can be done in different ways. For some women, intrauterine insemination is sufficient. The sperm of the husband or donor is injected into the uterus. Such methods are good for the immune cervical or cervical factor: the sperm bypasses the "dangerous" area and immediately, thanks to the efforts of doctors, enters the uterine cavity.
IVF method involves removing an egg from a woman and fertilizing it in a laboratory. After that, the fertilized eggs are implanted into the uterine cavity. The woman receives the necessary hormonal treatment so that the embryos take root and can develop.
ICSI is a method in which a sperm is injected with a thin needle into the egg itself. Only the best and healthiest sperm are selected for fertilization. After that, the fertilized egg is inserted into the uterine cavity. For artificial insemination, donor eggs can also be used if a woman's own eggs do not mature, and a donor embryo can be transplanted.
In extreme cases, there is surrogate motherhood, and the attitude towards it in society changes for the better every year.
Prevention
Prevention of female infertility should be started in childhood. From unpleasant inflammatory diseases in childhood and adolescence, the girl will be saved by adherence to intimate hygiene, as well as the understanding that a future woman should not overcool and sit on cold surfaces, lift heavy weights. A girl from childhood should understand that it is important to protect herself from influenza and scarlet fever, measles and diphtheria, because these diseases can be complicated by gynecological problems in the future. She should avoid traumatic brain, abdominal and chest injuries.
Mothers should pay special attention to examining daughters whose periods began too early or too late. An early onset is considered to be under 10 years of age, and a late onset after 16 years. These girls are at increased risk of developing primary or secondary infertility.
Diets are dangerous for adolescents: along with the extra pounds, the reserves of female sex hormones also go away. Early onset of sexual activity is also undesirable. Physiologically, a girl is ready for her only when she comes of age, and not at 14, 15 or 17 years. Early sexual activity can cause a "disorder" of all systems and connections in the reproductive function.
A young and mature woman should be aware of the dangers and dangers of abortion (including medication), advanced inflammatory processes that have not been treated for a long time. A woman who plans to become a mother should monitor her weight, prevent exhaustion and obesity, eat balanced and healthy. A woman should not get carried away with alcohol and smoking, and drugs are a sure way to become infertile.
Promiscuous sex life, sexually transmitted infections, inappropriate and uncoordinated contraception with hormonal and other means can lead to the development of infertility. The likelihood of subsequently experiencing problems with conceiving a baby is higher in women who often douche with chemicals, and also have sex during menstruation.
Reviews
According to the reviews of women, which they left on thematic forums, fertility treatment takes quite a long time. During therapy, it is important not to lose hope or despair. On the contrary, the sooner a woman can put her self-esteem in order, and the sooner she stops feeling inferior, the more effective the treatment prescribed by the doctor will be.
Women find gynecological massage and physiotherapy effective. Is it possible to use them, the attending physician will tell, since these procedures also have their own contraindications.
The most difficult treatment for infertility after gonorrhea, chlamydia and other infections. Women have to undergo several courses of treatment, and they are not always effective. According to statistics, infertility is successfully treated in about 80% of women.
For the psychological causes of female infertility, see the following video.
