Fertility Diagnosis Reference Guide

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If you’ve just received a medical diagnosis, or you’re concerned that something in your present or past health history might be jeopardizing your fertility, check here for quick info on common medical conditions and how they can affect conception and pregnancy.

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Age
Women’s fertility declines after about age 27. By the time a woman is in her mid 30s, she has lost many of her viable eggs through menstruation and natural attrition.

AIDS
Infection with human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, is the virus that leads to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) if not stalled by medication.

Alcoholism
The term “alcoholism” refers to a disease known as alcohol dependence syndrome, the most severe stage of a group of drinking problems which begins with binge drinking and alcohol abuse.

Anorexia
An intense fear of gaining weight. Someone with anorexia obsesses about food and limits food intake, even though she or he is too thin.

Autoimmune Diseases
A group of diseases that occur when the immune system malfunctions and attacks the body.

Azoospermia
Azoospermia can be caused by problems with sperm production or problems in the sperm delivery.

Blood Clotting Disorders
Conditions that cause the blood to clot too easily or prevent clots from dissolving properly.

Bulimia
Just like anorexia, bulimia is a type of eating disorder in which the person is preoccupied with her/his weight and body shape, often judging herself severely and harshly for perceived flaws.

Cancer
A class of diseases in which a group of cells displays uncontrolled growth and divides beyond the normal limits.

Celiac Disease
A common but often undiagnosed autoimmune digestive disorder that results from an allergic reaction to gluten, which is found in most wheat products, rye, barley, oats, and many other foods.

Cervical Mucus (problems with)
COMING SOON

Chlamydia
Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis, which can damage a woman's reproductive organs.

Colitis
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease in which sores and inflammation develop along the lining of the large intestine.

Crohn's Disease
A chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract.

Depression
COMING SOON

DES Exposure
DES (diethylstilbestrol) is a synthetic form of estrogen, which was prescribed from 1938 until 1971 to help some pregnant women who had experienced miscarriages or premature deliveries in the past assuming that the root cause were low levels of estrogen in the woman's body.

Diabetes
Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin (a hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy).

Digestive Disorders
Crohn's, ulcerative colitis, and celiac disease are all serious gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. What all three have in common is a tendency to greatly reduce the amount of nutrients that the body absorbs; doctors suspect that the extreme weight loss and malnutrition that can result is what eventually causes problems with getting pregnant.

Diminished Ovarian Reserve
(also referred to as High FSH) A high level means a woman doesn’t have a lot of eggs left, because the body producing more and more FSH in an attempt to stimulate the ovaries.

DNA Fragmentation (men)
COMING SOON

Eating Disorders
Women with anorexia may have a body mass index (BMI) so low that their hormone production is disrupted and they do not ovulate. Women with bulimia may appear to be normal weight, but may have severe nutritional deficiencies that can affect fertility.

Endometriosis
A non-cancerous condition, endometriosis is a chronic gynecological disease in which cells from the endometrium (the lining of the uterus) grow in the wrong spot.

Erectile Dysfunction (men)
COMING SOON

Fibroids are benign uterine growths (or tumors), made up of abnormal connective tissue and smooth muscle cells.

Genetic Abnormalities—Congenital Bilateral Absence of the Vas Deferens (CBAVD) (Men)
Men with CBAVD are born without any vas deferens—the tubes which lead from each testicle to the penis—making it impossible for sperm to travel to the urethra (the tube that expels the sperm through the penis).

Genetic Abnormalities—Klinefelter's Syndrome (Men)
One of the most common fertility-threatening chromosomal abnormalities in men is Klinefelter’s syndrome. Instead of having the usual XY chromosome pattern that most males have, men with Klinefelter’s Syndrome inherit an extra “X” (female) chromosome, so they have an XXY pattern.

Genetic Abnormalities—Micro Y Deletion (Men)
In about 10 to 15 percent of cases of male infertility involving no blockage and no sperm, genetic testing will reveal a missing sex chromosome.

Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection (STI), caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a bacterium that can grow and multiply easily in the warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract, including the cervix, uterus, and fallopian tubes in women, and in the urethra in both women and men.

Hashimoto’s Disease
COMING SOON

High FSH
(also referred to as diminished ovarian reserve) A high level means a woman doesn’t have a lot of eggs left, because the body producing more and more FSH in an attempt to stimulate the ovaries.

Hyperthyroidism
A condition in which an overactive thyroid produces too much hormone, kicking the metabolism into high gear. One common cause of hyperthyroidism is Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder that tends to run in families and affects the entire thyroid gland. Another cause is so-called “hot nodules” that can form on the thyroid. The nodules contain cells that produce too much of the thyroid hormone thyroxine.

Hypothyroidism
A condition in which an underactive thyroid gland produces too few hormones, thus slowing down the body’s metabolism. It is the most common thyroid disorder. A common cause of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disorder in which antibodies attack cells in the thyroid, causing it to produce less thyroid hormone.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease
A collective term for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which cause severe inflammation in the intestines.

Luteal Phase Defect
COMING SOON

Mental Illness
COMING SOON

Ovulatory Disorders
COMING SOON

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
COMING SOON

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
An overproduction of male sex hormones (such as testosterone) in the woman’s ovaries, which disrupts normal, healthy ovulation.

Pregnancy Termination (Abortion)
Many women who’ve had abortions and are now having difficulty conceiving are plagued by guilt, convinced that their difficulties getting pregnant are related to that procedure, no matter how long ago.

Premature Ovarian Failure
A cessation of periods and loss of ovarian function in girls and women under age 40. Women with POF may not menstruate at all, or may menstruate very infrequently.

Progesterone, low
COMING SOON

Recurrent Miscarriage
Recurrent pregnancy loss is defined as two or more failed pregnancies.

Scarring
COMING SOON

Secondary Infertility
The inability of a couple to achieve a pregnancy after having been pregnant before.

Sexually Transmitted Infections
Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the most common STIs. Others include bacterial vaginosis (BV), genital herpes, human papillomavirus infection (HPV), syphilis, and AIDS.

Smoking (Cigarettes or Marijuana)
Both nicotine and marijauana can interfere with ovulation, but a past fling with them shouldn’t affect your fertility now.

Sperm: low sperm count
COMING SOON

Sperm: problem with motility
COMING SOON

Sperm: problem with morphology
COMING SOON

Syphilis
COMING SOON

Testosterone, low
COMING SOON

Thyroid (hyperthyroid)
COMING SOON

Tubal Ligation
A surgical procedure to render a woman incapable of conceiving a child. Some women who change their mind after sterilization and decide they want to become pregnant opt for in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Ulcerative Colitis
A condition in which sores and inflammation develop along the lining of the colon or large intestine.

Undescended Testicle (men)
COMING SOON

Unexplained infertility
COMING SOON

Uterine abnormalities
COMING SOON

Varicoceles
Problems arise when one or more veins in a scrotum sac become enlarged. Called varicoceles, these enlargements are caused by a faulty vein valve that allows blood to back up.

Vasectomy (men)
Vasectomy a simple, safe, and highly effective surgical sterilization procedure for men. Vasectomy reversal surgery aims to reconnect the obstructed sperm pathway.

Weight, overweight
COMING SOON

Weight, underweight
COMING SOON