Growing causes of infertility and Who can have IVF
Infertility is a deeply personal and often challenging issue affecting many individuals and couples around the world. While infertility has always been a concern, its causes and prevalence have evolved over the years.
In this blog, we’ll explore the growing causes of infertility in the modern world. We will discuss what are the four main causes of male infertility and causes of infertility in females and shed light on the factors contributing to this significant reproductive health challenge.
What is infertility?
Infertility is the inability of the reproductive system to conceive and bear a child even after one year of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse.
What causes infertility in men?
Causes of male infertility include:
- Sperm abnormality: The problem with sperm count, shape(morphology), movement(motility), or low sperm count can affect fertility.
- Varicocele: The varicocele veins become large, increasing the temperature in the testicles, which harms sperm production and quality.
- Hypogonadism: A condition in which low levels of testosterone are produced by the testes, resulting in low sperm production and quality.
- Klinefelter syndrome: Klinefelter syndrome is a male chromosomal disorder in this disorder, there is an extra X chromosome, which leads to the form XXY chromosome instead of XY and affects sexual development and fertility.
- Sexual dysfunction: Erectile dysfunction, anejaculation, premature ejaculation, or retrograde ejaculation are sexual dysfunctions affecting fertility.
- Vasectomy: The cutting or sealing of vas differences to prevent the tubes from carrying sperm from the testicles to the urethra, causing permanent sterilization in males.
- Absence of testis: Congenital absence of testes in which a person is born without out or both testis or surgical absence of testis, which is the surgical removal of the testis due to various reasons.
- Cryptorchidism: Cryptorchidism or undescended testicle is a condition in which one or sometimes both testicles don’t descend into the scrotum.
What causes infertility in women?
Causes of female infertility include:
- Ovulation disorder: Ovulation disorder such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) causes irregular or absent ovulation process of the ovary, releasing an egg to meet sperm for fertilization.
- Endometriosis: In this condition, tissues grow outside the uterus, causing scarring and adhesions.
- Autoimmune conditions: Celiac disease or lupus are autoimmune conditions in which the body’s tissues and organs are mistakenly attacked by the immune system, affecting the reproductive system.
- Thyroid: The improper functioning of the thyroid gland causes hormonal imbalance and leads to fertility problems.
- Tube ligation and salpingectomy: In this process, the fallopian tubes are cut, sealed, or blocked to prevent the traveling of eggs from ovaries into the uterus. The surgical removal of one or both the fallopian tubes is salpingectomy. Both surgical procedures can cause permanent steralization in females.
- Genetics or chromosomal disorders: Genetic disorders such as Turner syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and chromosomal disorders affect reproductive health in various ways, which leads to a problems in conceiving and maintaining pregnancy.
- Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI): is a condition of premature ovarian failure in which the ovaries malfunction abnormally, leading to stopped egg production or low-quality eggs, irregular or absent menstrual periods.
- Uterine fibroids and polyps: Uterine fibroids and polyps are non-cancerous growths that can block the fallopian tubes and interfere with the implantation of fertilized eggs.
What are the common infertility treatments?
The above conditions may cause infertility for which there are different types of infertility treatments, including:
- In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
IVF is the most effective type of Infertility treatment in which eggs or embryos and sperm handling are involved for treatment and lead to pregnancy.
- Intracytoplasmic Sperm injection(ICSI): In this process, a single egg is directly injected into each egg by an embryologist. After that, one to three of the embryos are transferred into the uterus.
- Intrauterine insemination (IUI): Doctors use a long, thin tube for the placement of washed and processed sperm directly into the woman’s uterus.
- Gamete Intrafallopian transfer (GIFT): In this procedure, collected eggs and sperm are placed into a woman’s fallopian tube and fertilized naturally inside the body.
- Zygote Intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT): In this procedure, the fertilized embryos(zygotes) are placed into the fallopian tube.
- Doner eggs or sperm: Couples use donor eggs or donor sperm when the egg or sperm quality is poor.
- Surrogacy: The pregnancy is carried by a gestational carrier (surrogate) for another couple or women.
Who is recommended IVF?
This procedure is often recommended to
Men:
- Low sperm count or quality
- Azoospermia (no sperm)
- Genetic disorders affecting sperm
Women:
- Blocked or damaged fallopian tubes
- Ovulation disorders
- Endometriosis
- Uterine fibroids
- Past surgery (vasectomy or tubectomy)
- Age-related fertility issues
- Genetic disorders
Consult Dr Mustafa Aldam for Infertility treatment
Dr. Mustafa Aldam is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist in Dubai with 20+ years of experience. He specializes in obstetrics, cosmetic gynecology, and laparoscopic surgery.
Dr. Mustafa Aldam team offers ART-based infertility treatment such as Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) and Ovulation Induction. Dr Mustafa Aldam have helped hundreds of couples bearing babies through Assisted Reproduction, by tailoring fertility solutions after thoroughly understanding infertility issues.