5 Factors That Could Be Affecting Your Fertility

You really want to grow your family, but getting pregnant is proving difficult, and you want to understand why. 

The reality is that infertility is a common problem, and one in five women of reproductive age runs into primary fertility issues (primary means struggling to get pregnant for the first time).

At Bay Area Physicians for Women’s Health, our skilled and compassionate team of healthcare providers helps women navigate fertility issues, which often stem from one of the five factors we review below.

1. Ovulatory disorders and fertility

About 25% of cases of female infertility are due to ovulatory disorders, which encompass any issue that affects ovulation. At the top of this list is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which affects up to 13% of reproductive-aged women around the world and accounts for 80-85% of cases of anovulation (eggs aren’t released monthly).

Outside of PCOS, primary ovarian insufficiency and thyroid issues are also common contributors to ovulatory disorders.

2. Endometriosis can lead to infertility

Another road to infertility is endometriosis, which affects up to 11% of reproductive-aged women. Endometriosis is a condition in which endometrial tissues and cells, which belong on the inside of your uterus, grow outside instead. These misplaced growths can affect pelvic organs, such as your ovaries and Fallopian tubes, creating issues with ovulation and fertilization.

3. Structural issues

There’s a lot of movement that needs to happen for conception — eggs need to be released and travel to where sperm can reach and fertilize them. Any blockages along the way can lead to infertility. 

A good example of this is untreated sexually transmitted infections that lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). With PID, you can develop scar tissue in your Fallopian tubes, which stops eggs and sperm from uniting.

4. Age

Your eggs age right alongside you, and their numbers and quality diminish over time. To give you an idea in terms of numbers, the peak number of eggs you have is at birth, when you have about 1 million follicles. By the time you reach puberty, this number drops to 300,000 and continues to decline thereafter.

So, if you’re trying to get pregnant in your late 30s and 40s, you might run into more challenges as your follicle reserves dwindle.

5. Lifestyle factors

We’ve been able to tie fertility issues back to certain lifestyle factors, as well, namely:

• Smoking, which causes a decline in egg number and quality
• Heaving drinking
• Drug use
• High stress
• Obesity — it can affect your hormone levels
• Being underweight can stop your menstrual cycles

As you can see, a wide range of factors can affect your fertility, and the best way to get to the bottom of your conception issues is to visit us for a thorough fertility evaluation.

To get that ball rolling, contact our office in Mobile, Alabama, to schedule a consultation.