Uterine Infertility

You probably never gave much thought to your uterus until you chose to begin trying for a baby. But uterine infertility is not that unusual as a healthy normal uterus is essential for getting and staying pregnant. There a couple of things that might cause uterine infertility:

· Fibroids – Also known as myoma or leimyoma, these are small non-cancerous growths that develop on the endometrium. If these form near the fallopian tube or cervix openings, or they are rather large, or numerous, they might make it difficult for the sperm and the egg to get together.

· Polyps – Evidently look just like a skin tag, just on the inner wall of the uterus. There aren’t any definite indicators for polyps except abnormal bleeding. They can obstruct the path of the sperm or the egg, or prevent a fertilized egg from implanting.

· Uterine deformities – You may inherited an oddly formed uterus, which might impact your chances of getting and staying pregnant.

· Scar tissue – Also referred to as Asherman’s syndrome, this is when there is scar tissue on the inside of the uterus. This tissue can make it hard to have a baby or can increase the risk of miscarriage. Multiple abortions, surgeries or infections might cause scar tissue.

· Endometriosis – This increases your risk of ectopic pregnancy (when the baby starts growing outside the womb) because cells that are generally only found on the inside of the uterus start forming outside as well. This also causes awful cramping and very heavy bleeding during menstruation.

· Muscular problems – Generally the uterus assists the sperm to make it up the fallopian tubes through contracting – especially during ovulation. Abnormalities with these contractions might make life quite hard for the sperm.

· Luteal Phase Defect – When the endometrium doesn’t develop correctly.

· Abnormal endometrial lining – Those in the know still aren’t exactly sure on exactly what defines whether the endometrial lining that is too thick or too thin, but either one of the two may cause problems.

The following tests may be done to screen for uterine infertility:

· Ultrasound – Once the uterine cavity has been filled with a salt water solution an ultrasound scan is done to screen for any structural abnormalities.

· Hysterosalpingogram – A solution that is visible on X-ray is squirted into the uterus and then an X-ray is done to look for are any unusual growths or obstructions.

· Laparoscopy – The doctor gets to have a look for any obvious irregularities through a miniature camera that is inserted through a little cut in the abdomen.

· Hysteroscopy – Like a laparoscopy apart fromt eh fact that the camera goes in via the vagina.

During many of these tests the doctors might take swabs or samples of the tissue to screen for irregularities like Luteal Phase Defect.

After having had all these tests you could discover that your uterus is just fine – and so begins the process of elimination! If you’re battling to get pregnant then it’s helpful to know that uterine infertility is generally easily treated, so although the tests can be uncomfortable and awkward at least you’ll be able to discern what the problem is and that means you’ll be more able to fix it.

Here is more information on Endometriosis and Infertility. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Infertility.

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