When you’re having difficulty getting pregnant, it can feel like you’re all alone. But actually, fertility issues are extremely common. Roughly 20% of American women are unable to conceive even after a year of trying.
That’s partly because getting pregnant isn’t easy. Conception involves lots of factors, and infertility can have an array of causes, including problems involving your uterus.
At the Center for Urogynecology and Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery in South Miami, Florida, Rafael J. Perez, MD, FACOG, uses advanced techniques to identify the causes of infertility, tailoring therapies to help couples grow their families.
In this post, learn about six issues that could be affecting your uterus and your ability to get pregnant.
One of the functions of your cervix (opening to your uterus) is to produce mucus to keep your uterus and vaginal tract healthy.
The consistency of the mucus changes significantly during your menstrual cycle. Dry and sticky in the early days of your cycle, the mucus becomes clear and slippery during ovulation, making it easier for sperm to travel into the uterus and fertilize an egg.
Abnormal cervical mucus remains thicker and stickier during ovulation, making it a lot harder for sperm to travel to the egg. This condition is relatively uncommon, although it may appear more often among women with infections and high levels of vaginal bacteria.
The endometrium is a special tissue that lines your uterus. During ovulation, the tissue swells and prepares for implantation of a fertile egg. If implantation doesn’t happen, your body sheds the lining during your period.
If you have endometriosis, that tissue grows outside your uterus, causing inflammation and sometimes scars. Depending where the tissue grows and the symptoms it causes, endometriosis can also make it harder to get pregnant.
Fibroids are muscular tumors that form in the wall of your uterus. While they’re almost always benign (noncancerous), they can cause a number of problems, including painful or heavy periods and problems with fertility.
Depending on where the fibroids are located, their size, and other factors, some fibroids may prevent fertilization, while others may keep the fertilized egg from successfully implanting in the uterine wall. Fibroids may also make it harder to carry a pregnancy to term.
Polyps are fleshy growths of tissue. When they form inside your uterus, they may make it harder to conceive.
Researchers aren’t sure how polyps interfere with conception, but they theorize these growths interfere with sperm movement or egg implantation. They may also trigger an inflammatory response that damages sperm or prevents fertilization.
Asherman’s syndrome is a relatively rare cause of infertility that happens when scar tissue grows inside the uterus, interfering with conception and increasing the risk of miscarriage.
Typically, these scars form as a result of surgery or minimally invasive procedures, like dilatation and curettage, or following cancer treatment. Less commonly, scar tissue (or adhesions) form following a parasitic infection or as a side effect of tuberculosis.
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) can also lead to fertility problems. Some infections cause scars or other tissue damage in the uterus or the fallopian tubes that can prevent ovulation and fertilization.
Regular STD testing helps ensure prompt treatment to reduce these risks. Pelvic inflammatory disease and other types of chronic inflammation may interfere with fertility, as well.
Our team offers multiple treatment options for couples who are having trouble conceiving, including treatments focused on the issues described in this list. To learn how we can help you, call 305-240-6047 today to request an appointment with Dr. Perez at the Center for Urogynecology and Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery in South Miami, Florida.
