Ovulation problems are the most common causes of infertility. As most women know, without ovulation, conception cannot occur, and therefore it is of utmost importance to ensure that the ovulation process is healthy. So in this article, we will look at how ovulation works, what kind of problems can occur, and what we can do to prevent, or treat these problems. Claim Your 20 Free Pregnancy Tests – Click Here
First of all, let us briefly take a look what ovulation is, how it happens, and when it needs to happen. A woman’s premature eggs are stored in the ovarian reserve, inside follicles awaiting ovulation. As the egg begins to mature, the fluid cavity inside the follicle grows and grows, while the egg is tightly attached to the wall of the follicle.
But there comes a time, when the follicle cannot hold any more fluid within itself, and it ruptures. At that moment, the egg is released into the fallopian tube, ready to meet the first sperm that makes it to the tube. This rupture of the follicle is what we refer to as ovulation.
It means that there is an egg in the fallopian tube, ready to be fertilized. If we take an average menstrual cycle of 28 days, then we can safely estimate that ovulation usually happens on day 14, since it takes about 14 days for the follicle to rupture.
However, some women do not ovulate regularly, or in some cases ovulation is entirely absent. Irregular, or infrequent ovulation means that ovulation occurs several times over the course of a year and it is referred to as oligoovulation.
Lack of ovulation, when ovulation does not occur for several months, or a year at a time is called anovulation. In the above two cases it is common that when ovulation finally occurs, it is accompanied by heavy blood loss often to the extent that medical attention is necessary.
In practice, ovulation problems may occur if any part of the reproductive system malfunctions. For example, if a part of the brain that regulates hormone levels in our system dysfunctions, such as the hypothalamus, or the pituitary gland, ovulation is sometimes prevented.
But diabetes and obesity as well as excessive exercise can cause infrequent ovulation. Obesity can further contribute to infertility by contributing to thick cervical mucus, but since weight loss can also cause a temporary imbalance in our reproductive system, we have to be careful about how we intend to lose weight.
Certain drugs can also cause ovulation problems such as antidepressants, while psychological stress is also a risk factor. It’s best to try to avoid stress without resorting to medications, or consult your health care provider about these drugs.
Heavy smokers need to be aware of this risk as smoking is known to damage the egg pool of the woman thereby depleting the ovarian reserve prematurely. Another possible cause of ovulation disorder is PCOS, or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.
PCOS may sound intimidating, but it is actually fairly simple to treat under the age of 37, it is only a matter of which medication to choose. Not surprisingly, menopause may at first be misinterpreted as an ovulation due to the lack of ovulation for an extended period of time.
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