Infertility has limitless causes in both women and men. Treatment usually involves rectifying the primary problem with medication or surgery. But sometimes, conventional treatment proves challenging, and instead, couples turn to assisted conception methods like IVF. Most cases of female infertility are caused by problems with ovulation. Without ovulation, there are no eggs to be fertilized. Some signs that a woman is not ovulating normally include irregular or lacking menstrual periods. Ovulation problems are often caused by Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is a hormone imbalance disorder which can interfere with normal ovulation. PCOS is the most common cause of female infertility. Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) is another cause of ovulation problems. POI occurs when a woman's ovaries stop functioning routinely before she reaches her 40th year. Primary ovarian insufficiency is not the same as early menopause.
Less common causes of fertility problems in women include:
Similarly, IVF procedures are common if the man has a low sperm count (oligospermia) or a lack of sperm (azoospermia). In some rare cases of male factor infertility, Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) can be used to support the procedure.