FEMALE INFERTILITY

AND ART
VA N JA CV I JI
5 T H YEA R
U N I V ERSITY OF ZAG R EB , S CHOOL OF M E DI CINE
WHAT IS INFERTILITY?
Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a clinical
pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse.
 FEMALE INFERTILITY CAN BE CAUSED BY :
DAMAGE TO FALLOPIAN TUBES endometriosis ,
pelvic surgery, pelvic infections
HORMONAL PROBLEMS
CERVICAL ISSUES
UTERINE PROBLEMS - fibrinoids , polyps
UNEXPLAINED INFERTILTY
 OTHER FACTORS THAT CAN AFFECT
FERTILITY ARE :
AGE
woman's fertility peaks in the early and mid 20s, after which
it starts to decline, with this decline being accelerated after
age 35
TABACCO SMOKING
Harmful to the ovaries , nicotine interferes with the bodys
ability to create estrogen, a hormone that
regulates folliculogenesis and ovulation
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS
leading cause of infertility ,they often display few, if any
visible symptoms
BODY WEIGHT AND EATING DISORDERS
Twelve percent of all infertility cases are a result of a woman either
being underweight or overweight
CHEMOTHERAPY
secondary to premature ovarian failure by loss of primordial follicles

ADHESIONS
secondary to surgery in the peritoneal cavity are the leading cause of acquired infertility

OTHER : diabetes mellitus, radiation therapy, severe liver and kidney disease, genetic factors,
chromosomal abnormalities ( Turners)
 PREVENTION
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle
Treating or preventing existing diseases
Not delaying parenthood
Egg freezing
 Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)
involves several types of medical treatment designed to result in pregnancy
TYPES OF ART :
1) IVF
2)GIFT
3)ZIFT
4) SURROGACY
6) ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION
 IVF
technique of letting fertilization of the male
and female gametes occur outside the
female body
Techniques used in in vitro fertilization
include:
Transvaginal ovum retrieval (OCR)
Embryo transfer
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis
Embryo splitting
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection
 GIFT
Eggs are removed from a woman's ovaries,
and placed in one of the Fallopian tubes,
along with the man's sperm
With the advances in IVF the GIFT
procedure is used less as pregnancy rates
in IVF tend to be equal or better and do not
require laparoscopy when the egg is put
back
 ZIFT
zygote intra-fallopian tube transfer- eggs are fertilized
outside the body
as soon as fertilization is visibly documented, the less
than 24 hour old embryos are transferred into the
fallopian tube
The thinking with GIFT and ZIFT is that some embryos
do better in the "natural environment" of the fallopian
tube rather than the "artificial environment" of the
incubator
 Artificial insemination
involves sperm being placed into a
female's uterus (intrauterine) or cervix
(intracervical) using artificial means
rather than by sexual intercourse
can be a very low-tech process,
performed at home by the woman
alone or with her partner
 Surrogacy
woman agrees to become pregnant and
deliver a child for a contracted party
It may be her own genetic child, or a child
conceived through natural insemination, in
vitro fertilization or embryo transfer using
another woman's ova.
It is an option :
1)when a patient's medical condition prevents
a safe pregnancy
2)when a patient has ovaries but no uterus
due to congenital absence or previous surgical
removal
3) where a patient has no ovaries and is also
unable to carry a pregnancy to full term
Sources :
Wikipedia
Web MD