In this article, we consider the signs and symptoms of infertility in women. All people at some point begin to think about children. True, the path for a woman from the decision to become a mother to the realization of this desire in life can be long and difficult. Today, approximately 15% of couples experience difficulties in conceiving, and every year tens of thousands of women hear a frightening diagnosis of infertility from a doctor.
But it is immediately important to note that infertility is not a sentence. In most situations, it is quite successfully treated. And thanks to modern reproductive technologies, it is possible to deceive even nature and, in spite of everything, to achieve conception, and in addition, successful bearing.
The symptoms of infertility are discussed below.
Signs
In women, as a rule, infertility begins to be suspected if within one year, against the background of regular sexual life, without the use of preservatives, it is not possible to become pregnant. For women older than thirty-five years, this period is reduced to six months.
As such, there are no obvious symptoms of female infertility, except for the fact that it is impossible to conceive a child, however, there are some factors that increase the risk, including the following:
- Too high or, conversely, low body weight.
- The presence of severe inflammatory and infectious diseases of the reproductive system of the body in history.
- Irregular menstruation.
- The development of amenorrhea - a complete absence of menstruation.
It should also be borne in mind that the most common reason for the inability to conceive a child can be not only female, but also male infertility. Symptoms are discussed below. In addition, both partners may have problems at once, therefore, if there is a suspicion of infertility, the man and woman should both undergo an extensive examination. In our article, we will focus on the symptoms of infertility in women, find out its causes, learn about diagnostic methods and treatment methods.
Causes
The causes of infertility in women are very diverse. Most often, the inability to conceive and bear a child is to blame for the inflammatory pathological processes in the pelvic organs, not only those that are in an aggravated state, but also chronic forms as well. In addition, inflammatory diseases that were transferred many years ago can affect infertility. Often, inflammation of the organs of the reproductive system can lead to adhesions that form in the fallopian tubes, resulting in obstruction.
The causes of infertility symptoms in women can include congenital or acquired diseases along with uterine deformity, often resulting in multiple abortions along with endometriosis, intrauterine septa, adhesions and myomatous nodes.
Infertility can also be genetic in nature, within which conception itself is possible, but there is a very high risk of miscarriage. Genetic factors include various chromosomal abnormalities. Infertility is much less likely to be caused by psycho-emotional causes, however, this is also possible. For example, certain mental disorders, along with depression and constant severe stress, can significantly reduce female fertility.
The signs and symptoms of infertility in men will be discussed below. The advanced form of endometriosis is diagnosed in almost thirty percent of women who turn to doctors about the impossibility of conceiving a child. In approximately thirty-five percent of cases, female infertility can be caused by problems associated with maturation, and, in addition, the release of the egg, which occurs as a result of hormonal imbalance.
In 45% of patients with infertility, inflammatory processes are observed that are localized in the pelvic organs. Such processes entail pathology of the fallopian tubes. Often, the cause of the pathology may not be one, there may be several at once. Now let's talk about the symptoms of infertility.
How is female infertility manifested
Symptoms that are commonly found amid infertility are as follows:
- Violation of the cycle of menstruation.
- The presence of painful and heavy menstruation.
- Presence of pain or discomfort in the pelvic area.
- Excessively abundant vaginal discharge, having an unusual color and smell, which, most likely, is a sign of an inflammatory process. This is a common symptom of infertility in girls.
- Cases of a similar pathology in the family in close relatives.
- The presence of disorders of the thyroid gland. In this regard, women must be observed in parallel by an endocrinologist.
- Obesity or, conversely, excessive thinness.
- The development of hirsutism - increased hair growth in unwanted places.
- The presence of a male body type.
- The development of severe acne.
- The development of chronic pathologies.
- Malformations not related to the genital area, for example, diseases of the kidneys, heart, lungs, blood, and so on.
Women should be especially attentive to their body. The sooner the doctor can detect the pathology, the faster it will be able to cure and prevent, thus, the development of symptoms of infertility. It is important to note that both spouses must undergo a diagnostic examination, due to the fact that most of the cases of childless marriages are caused by male infertility.
Also, a combination of this problem is often found in both husband and wife at the same time. Conducting early diagnosis will determine the future medical tactics, which are likely to be effective due to timely treatment of the patient. So, what methods of diagnosing such a serious problem as infertility exist today? Symptoms and causes of infertility are often related.
Diagnosis
For the diagnosis of infertility, in addition to collecting an anamnesis and undergoing a visual examination by a gynecologist, you will need a number of different tests, and, in addition, studies:
- Testing for sexually transmitted infections. Such tests should be taken at once by both partners.
- Blood test for hormones. These studies make it possible to confirm the endocrine nature of infertility. Biomaterial for the study of various hormones is taken in certain phases of the cycle. For example, analysis for LH and FSH is taken on the fifth day of the cycle, and for progesterone on the eighteenth.
- Radiography and ultrasound examination of the pelvic organs. Carrying out contrast radiography gives doctors the opportunity to establish whether infertility is caused by the presence of deformation or any pathology of the uterus, tubes and ovaries. In addition, it allows you to determine if there are any adhesions or any neoplasms. Ultrasound is also widely used to clarify information about the condition of the fallopian tubes.
- Conducting histology. A study on a sample of the tissues of the uterine mucosa provides information on the cellular structure of the endometrium.
- Hysteroscopy is a visual examination technique in which a miniature video camera is inserted into the uterus, allowing you to see polyps along with neoplasms and changes in the structure of the mucosa, and, in addition, take a tissue sample. The information content of this method is quite high, and its accuracy is almost one hundred percent.
Treatment methods
A full diagnosis of infertility, as a rule, takes no more than three months. After that, the doctor finally makes the diagnosis, choosing treatment tactics. In most cases, a diagnosis of infertility is treatable. Direct methods of treating female infertility depend directly on its causes.
Medical treatment
In the framework of this approach, hormonal preparations are used that level the hormonal background of a woman and make it possible to mature, and, in addition, release the egg. Due to this, subsequent implantation of the ovum is also possible.
Medication can give a good effect if the impossibility of conception was formed due to endocrine disorders. In any case, its effectiveness will depend on the age of the woman, the duration of infertility, as well as the viability of the ovaries.
Surgical treatment
This treatment option will be shown if the main cause of infertility is the pathology of the uterus or its tubes. With the help of laparoscopy, which is a minimally invasive operation, you can try to restore the patency of the tubes if the adhesions are removed and coagulation is performed. When the problem is endometriosis, small tumors with fibroids are removed through surgical treatment. Such operations are quite simple and do not require a long rehabilitation period from patients.
True, with the resumption of attempts to conceive, you will have to wait, since in order to consolidate the effect after surgical treatment, a course of drug therapy is carried out. It is important to note that surgical intervention does not always help with uterine pathologies. Sometimes, in the presence of too serious anatomical defects, surrogacy is the only way out. The effectiveness of the surgical treatment option largely depends on the type of pathology. In some cases, the effectiveness of this method of combating infertility reaches ninety percent, but on average is only thirty.
Psychological assistance
According to statistics, about thirty percent of cases of infertility are caused by reasons that are psychological in nature. For example, the following fears and concerns can be attributed to psychological factors affecting the ability to conceive:
- A woman’s fear of responsibility, and, in addition, of the inevitable changes in life.
- Many are afraid of the birth itself.
- The presence of self-doubt or in your partner.
- Personal life dramas with stress at work.
- These or other psychological overloads that can affect reproductive health.
- The woman’s banal unpreparedness for this step, when she herself is not yet ready to give birth, and the family or partner nonetheless put pressure on her.
The causes of infertility symptoms in girls are of great interest to many. It often happens that the root of the problem, paradoxically as it may seem, lies in the fixation of the woman on the need for motherhood. Moreover, on this desire, there is a concentration of all mental forces and a complete rejection of other interests in life.
Surely many have heard stories about couples who, after many years of unsuccessful attempts at conception, eventually gave up and adopted an alien child, and after a few months the woman found herself pregnant and waiting for her own baby. In such situations, psychotherapy helps, and it is recommended to take it together with a partner.
With age, women's fertility may decline, which is a natural process. It is difficult to give exact figures, since the state of health of each woman is purely individual, but, as practice shows, on average, the chances of getting pregnant begin to decrease by about thirty percent from about thirty years a year.
And after forty years, the possibility of pregnancy is very small, but the risk of miscarriage, and, in addition, fetal pathologies, on the contrary, increases. In this regard, at the age of forty it will be safer to resort to in vitro fertilization.
Symptoms of Male Infertility
Male infertility is when a female egg is not fertilized in a natural way.
Often there are no other obvious signs or symptoms. But in general, infertility may include:
- A man is not able to conceive a child.
- Delayed ejaculation or erectile dysfunction.
- The testicles are swollen or painful.
- The hair on the face and body is much less than normal, there may also be other signs of hormonal or chromosomal pathologies.
- The sperm count is below normal.
What are the symptoms of infertility in men, it is now clear.
Using assistive technology
In the event that the above methods of treating infertility have not yielded results, it makes sense to think about using assistive technologies for reproduction. These include in vitro fertilization along with insemination, the use of donor sperm, and, in addition, surrogate motherhood.
All of these options differ both in their complexity and in overall effectiveness. For example, insemination is just the introduction of sperm into the uterus, and in vitro fertilization is a rather complex set of measures aimed at stimulating ovulation. Also, thanks to the extracorporeal method of treatment, it is possible to achieve fertilization of the egg and its implantation. We examined the symptoms and treatment of infertility in women.
Preventive measures
Given that infertility is often the result of inflammatory and infectious pathologies of the reproductive organs, it is necessary to regularly check the state of women's health, visiting a gynecologist at least once a year. During this period of time, most infections do not have time to cause significant harm.
As for unscheduled examinations, they are required in case of a change of partner or method of contraception, and, in addition, with the appearance of certain changes and symptoms. In addition to the gynecologist, women should also visit an endocrinologist to effectively treat infertility symptoms.
It is equally important to monitor nutrition, to prevent a deficiency of vitamins and minerals, maintaining a normal weight. At the same time, one cannot go to extremes, since thinness and extra 20 kg can serve as an obstacle to the desired motherhood. No matter how trite this advice may sound, but smoking along with the use of alcoholic beverages also has a detrimental effect on women's health and significantly reduces the chances of becoming pregnant. In this regard, bad habits are required to be completely abandoned immediately prior to pregnancy planning in order to exclude signs and symptoms of infertility in women.
The birth of children is one of the most important life tasks of any person. This issue should be approached with awareness and responsibility. Conducting preparations for conception will not only make it possible to quickly become pregnant, but will also help to avoid many problems during gestation and childbirth, and, in addition, will help to recover quickly after them. This is the key to the health of the unborn child and his mother.