Determine The Gender Of Your Baby

You probably didn’t ever give much attention to your uterus until the day you decided to start trying for a baby. But uterine infertility is not uncommon as a normal healthy uterus is essential for getting and staying pregnant. Uterine infertility is caused by a number of things:

· Fibroids – Also known as leimyoma or myoma, these are little non-cancerous growths that form on the endometrium. If these form near the cervix or fallopian tube openings, or they are particularly big, or there are many of them, they might make it hard for the egg and the sperm to meet.

· Polyps – Ever set eyes on a skin tag? Well, a uterine or endometrial polyp is similar to a little skin tag on the interior of the uterus. There are no explicit symptoms for polyps other than abnormal bleeding. Similar to fibroids, polyps can obstruct the cervix or fallopian tube openings making it difficult for the sperm and the egg to meet.

· Uterine deformities – You may inherited an oddly shaped uterus, which might affect your chances of conceiving and having a baby.

· Scar tissue – Also referred to as Asherman’s syndrome, this is when there is scar tissue on the inner wall of the uterus. Like fibroids and polyps this scar tissue could cause infertility or miscarriage. Multiple abortions, infections or surgeries could cause scar tissue.

· Endometriosis – This isn’t strictly a uterine problem, but this is when tissue that normally only grows on the inside of the uterus grows outside as well, causing incredibly painful periods and raising the chance of ectopic pregnancy (when the zygote implants in the fallopian tube and starts to develop – yes, that is as bad as it seems).

· Muscular problems – Usually the uterus assists the sperm to get up the fallopian tubes through contracting – especially during ovulation. Problems with these contractions might make things quite difficult for the sperm.

· Luteal phase defect – The name seems rather menacing, but this just means that the lining of the uterus doesn’t develop properly.

· Abnormal endometrial lining – Those in the know still aren’t exactly sure on exactly what defines whether the endometrial lining that is too thick or too thin, but either one of the two may cause problems.

Various tests that are employed to identify these conditions:

· Sonohysterogram – Saline solution is squirted into the uterine cavity and then an ultrasound scan is done.

· Hysterosalpingogram – A solution that shows up on X-ray is squirted into the uterus and then an X-ray is done to check if there are any odd growths or blockages.

· Laparoscopy – The doctor gets to have a look for any visible irregularities through a tiny camera that goes in through a small incision in the abdomen.

· Hysteroscopy – The camera is inserted through the vagina rather than via an incision in the abdomen.

Doctors might also use the procedures listed above as opportunities to take tissue samples for checking.

After having had all these tests you may find that your uterus is in perfect working order – and so begins the process of elimination! If you’re battling to conceive then it’s comforting to know that uterine infertility is usually easily treated, so even though the tests can be awkward and uncomfortable at least you’ll be closer to identifying what the problem is and then you’ll be able to do something about it.

Here is more information on Endometriosis and Infertility. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Infertility.

Tags: Pregnancy //