Uterus Infertility – The Types and Causes
Different Uterus Infertility Types
Uterus infertility often refers to infertility due to a problem that is due to the uterus. The structure of the uterus is crucial to a successful pregnancy. It can prevent a woman from conceiving and even if she become pregnant the uterus might fail to maintain the pregnancy. There are many causes of Uterus infertility and there are a number of treatments available as well.
Causes of Uterus Infertility
Abnormality in the uterine cavity is one of the causes of miscarriage. Another most important part of a uterus is the endometrial lining. Some women have a condition where the lining is so thin that they can conceive but fail to maintain the pregnancy. These conditions can evolve from many diseases and disorders. These different uterus related conditions are divided into different types by doctors. The manifestation of these disorders can vary from woman to woman.
During the menstrual cycle, blood and endometrial lining of the uterus is shed off. In a few weeks the lining re-grows and becomes ready to accept embryos. The embryos are implanted on this lining during pregnancy. It searches for embryos in the next weeks and if there are no embryos implanted then it sheds again, resultantly starting another period. This shedding and regenerating continues until it detects embryos implanted in it. Sometimes, the lining loses its capability to recognize an embryo and continues the menstrual cycle. This is a type of uterus infertility, which is commonly observed.
Intrauterine adhesions
This is also referred to as Asherman’s Syndrome and it is defined as a condition where the uterine cavity contains scar tissue. This directly affects conception and increases the risk of miscarriage significantly.
Luteal Phase Defect
This is not a common form of uterus infertility. The uterus lining undergoes some microscopic changes after the ovulation phase and meets the hormone progesterone, which is essential for conception. Luteal Phase Defect is known as the abnormality of uterus that involves insufficient change in the cells of the uterus lining.
Too thin or thick endometrial lining
The minimum thickness of the endometrial lining that allows conception is 8mm. A thickness of 6mm is too thin while more than 12mm is considered too thick. Both the conditions increase the risk of miscarriage.
Uterine polyps
Uterine polyps are overgrown tissue in the endometrium lining. You can compare it to a skin tag. The polyps that are small, for example a few millimeters in diameter are not considered to be a threat to conception, but the large ones can cause miscarriage. However, it can be treated by making a small incision to remove the polyp. Usually hysteroscopic scissors are used for the operation.
Uterine Fibroids or Leiomyoma
This is the most common cause of uterus infertility. The excessive growth of normal tissues on the uterine muscle is responsible for this disorder. The small sized tissues are not harmful but the larger ones can have a great impact on the reproductive system. Laparoscopy is used to treat this abnormality.
The abnormalities mentioned above are diagnosed by a hysteroscopy. This procedure also determines other defects in the cavity. Women are encouraged to have the proper diagnosis so that they can undergo appropriate treatments.
