Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
One in ten women have PCOS. The symptoms are: infertility, high levels of androgens, insulin resistant, missed or irregular periods and many small cysts in their ovaries. Some woman experience acne, oily skin, or dandruff, weight gain, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, skin tags or tiny excess flaps of skin in the armpits or neck area, pelvic pain, anxiety or depression, sleep apnea and increased hair growth on the face, chest, stomach, back, thumbs, or toes which called hirsutism. There is no single test for this disease. The doctor must analysis the patient’s blood pressure, body mass index (BMI) and measure waist size then do a pelvis exam to look for enlarged ovaries or small cysts.

Endometriosis
This disease  is estimated to affect over one million women (3% to 18% of women) in the United States. Endometrial cells are shed each month during menstruation. These cells of endometriosis attach themselves to tissue outside the uterus and are called endometriosis implants. The implants are most commonly found on the ovaries, the Fallopian tubes, outer surfaces of the uterus or intestines, and on the surface lining of the pelvic cavity. They can also be found in the vagina, cervix and bladder. Endometrial implants are generally benign but cause infertility and extreme pelvic pain. Endometriosis can be detected through an ultrasound and removed through a surgery called Laparoscopy. After the surgery, doctors can estimate the stages of severity (from stage 1- stage 4) and it can grow back as early as 6 months.

Fallopian Tube Removal
Each woman is born with two fallopian tubes. Endndometriosis, an ectopic pregnancy, fibroids in the uterus or a birth defect can causes scarring resulting in blockage. To determine if the fallopian tubes are blocked, doctors can use hysterosalpingography. In this procedure, x-rays are taken after a radiopaque dye is injected through the cervix. The dye outlines the interior of the uterus and fallopian tubes. In extreme cases, one or both of the tubes will have to be removed. Without surgery, pelvic inflammatory disease can result. If only one tube is removed, the chances of getting pregnant decrease. But if both tubes are removed, IVF is the only possible route for becoming pregnant.

Bad Egg Quality
It is normal discover that half of the embryos retrieved and tested in one cycle are not healthy quality. But it is normal to retrieve eggs, fertilize them show that all of them have damaged chromosomes. This means that they would not implant in a uterus. This is a common problem with women over 40 years old but there are also several cases of younger women who also have poor embryo quality. Even though this is rare in woman under 40, this problem is very severe because could damage any chance of getting pregnant even with IVF.

Unexplained
Doctors have reduced the number of unexplained infertility patients from 60% several years ago to 15%-20% simply because of new infertility diseases that have been discovered since then. But there are still 15%-20% of women out there who still cannot get pregnant normally and no one knows why. Some doctors say that unexplained infertility is a result of smoking, obesity, excess caffeine intake, alcohol use or an undetectable form of endometriosis. Other common explanations are: normally the outer shell of the egg hardens after one sperm enters the egg. It is possible for the outer shell not to allow a sperm to enter, or allow too many sperm to enter the egg. Both these situations result in abnormalities that lead to infertility. Also, it is possible to have sperm that appear normal under a microscope, however not perform the function of fertilization adequately. Doctors believe that the semen analysis does not determine 100% of the problems and there is still more research to be done.

Unbalanced system (second pregnancy)
This is a theory that results when a woman goes through one pregnancy and her system never recovers from the ordeal. The proof of this can be determined from a temperature graph taken with a Digital Basal Thermometer. A normal Basal Body Temperature (BBT) graph goes up and down until ovulation when it shoots up and balances out again; a woman with an unbalance system will show a graph that resembles shark teeth. The book The Infertility Cure: The Ancient Chinese Wellness Program for Getting Pregnant and Having Healthy Babies talks about this in more detail.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
PID refers to an infection of the uterus, fallopian tubes and other reproductive organs due to trauma, tumors, inflammation or disease. Sexually transmitted diseases, especially chlamydia and gonorrhea, are a major cause of scarring and blockage. PID can damage the fallopian tubes and tissues in and near the uterus and ovaries. Each year approximately 1 million women in the US become infertile as a result of this disease. Infection-causing bacteria can invade the fallopian tubes, causing normal tissue to turn into scar tissue. This scar tissue blocks or interrupts the normal movement of eggs into the uterus. There are very general symptoms that make it difficult to diagnose. Without treatment, PID can develop into permanent damage of the female organs.

Asherman’s Syndrome
A condition where the uterine walls adhere to one another, usually caused by uterine inflammation. In most cases, Asherman's is caused by an overly aggressive procedure called a D&C, surgery to remove fibroids, uterine structural defects or at cesarean section infection. Symptoms are no menstrual period, recurrent miscarriages and infertility. The doctor will usually perform a hysterosalpingogram, an x-ray test of the uterine cavity, or hysteroscopy, an outpatient surgical procedure.

Other Rare Problems