hormonal imbalance

Female infertility is often caused by a woman’s inability to ovulate, or release, an egg. When a woman isn’t ovulating, the problem is usually an imbalance in her hormones. In other words, she may be producing too little of one hormone or too much of another. Often, a woman will experience hormonal symptoms that can give clues about an underlying hormonal imbalance. Fortunately, hormonal imbalances are not hard to detect and treatments are straightforward and relatively effective.

Hormonal imbalances can be a result of:

• glandular problems
• ovulatory disorders
• polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
• premature menopause
• abnormal cervical mucus
• stress

glandular problems

Hormonal imbalances are sometimes traced back to the primary glands in the body that produce your reproductive hormones, specifically the hypothalamus, thyroid and pituitary glands. These glands are constantly sending signals back and forth in order to keep your hormones in check by making adjustments in the production of certain hormones. So a problem with any one of these glands could upset the balance of your hormones, making it more difficult for you to get pregnant.

• Hypothalamus: This gland can be affected by stress, birth control pills, desease and some medications.
• Thyroid: An underactive thyroid gland, also called hypothyroidism, can lead to excessive levels of the hormone prolactin, which interferes with ovulation.
• Pituitary: Microscopic tumors (called prolactinomas) on the pituitary gland can release the hormone prolactin, which interferes with ovulation.

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ovulatory disorders

Ovulatory disorders are one of the leading causes of female infertility, and are the culprit in about 25% of cases. But these couples often celebrate a happy ending – with treatment, most women with ovulatory disorders will go on to eventually get pregnant.

A woman may have irregular ovulation or a complete lack of ovulation (called anovulation). In either case, problems with ovulation are usually due to a hormonal imbalance, specifically too much prolactin (a milk-producing hormone that suppresses ovulation) or too many androgens. Although traditionally viewed as “male” hormones, androgens, the most important of which is testosterone, are produced in women as well, mostly by the ovaries and adrenal glands. As girls reach puberty, androgen levels rise and prompt the appearance of underarm and pubic hair. They are also responsible for sex drive, and may be converted to estrogen after menopause when ovarian estrogens are no longer produced.

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polycystic ovarian syndrome (pcos)

PCOS, also called Stein-Leventhal syndrome, is a condition in which many tiny cysts in the ovaries, caused by a hormone imbalance, interfere with ovulation. A woman’s adrenal glands and ovaries start producing too many androgens, which leads to too much luteinizing hormone (LH) and too little follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). As a result, the ovary starts developing cysts or immature follicles that are unable to generate eggs.

If yoy have PCOS, you may experience:

• Irregular periods
• Enlarged ovaries
• Excessive facial and body hair
• Oily skin
• Acne
• Obesity

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premature menopause

Women younger than 40 years old who have stopped ovulating are considered prematurely menopausal. Premature menopause, also known as premature ovarian failure (POF), happens to 1% to 4% of women and comes about when a woman has depleted her supply of eggs earlier than normal.

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abnormal cervical mucus

Part of what’s needed to get pregnant is normal cervical secretions, or mucus. You may notice a change in the consistency of your cervical mucus throughout your menstrual cycle. Around the time of ovulation, rising estrogen levels cause your mucus to become thin and watery, which helps the sperm’s journey to the uterus. Abnormal cervical mucus, which is a rare among women, involves at least one of the following:

• The cervical mucus is too thick for sperm to swin through even during ovulation.
• The cervical glands do not produce enough mucus.

In some cases, a surgery or infection has damaged the glands that produce cervical secretions, which can ultimately cause abnormal mucus. Women taking clomiphene citrate may also miss out on the normal changes in their cervical mucus, in which case estrogen cream can be helpful.

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stress

Stress – we all have it in our lives to some degree, but we each interpret and experience it differently. By definition, stress is any event that you perceive as threatening or harmful. Acute chronic stress can lead to depression in women and to changes in her immune system and sleep patterns. Although there is minimal evidence directly linking stress to infertility, extremely high levels of stress in women can cause hormone levels to change. It is these altered hormone levels that may lead to irregular ovulation or fallopian tube spasms – both potential contributors to infertility.

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