( 05 SEP 2020 )

The human body works in the weirdest possible ways, especially that of women. From the time they hit puberty, there is a drastic change in the female's body. And, sometimes, such changes may cause a variety of troubles for them.

Amidst a variety of issues that a woman deals with, ovulation disorders turn out to be the significant ones. In this post, let's talk about ovulation disorders and how it is connected to infertility.

What are Ovulation Disorders?
In simple words, these disorders are the spectrum of issues that impact the endocrine system, which generally helps controlling hormones and the ovulation pattern. This is one such process that allows women to release eggs during their menstrual cycle.

If there are ovulation disorders, they can cause irregular and infrequent ovulation along with anovulation; or the absence of ovulation, which could lead to irregular menstrual cycles. In a way, certain medicines and lifestyle conditions can impact hormone levels; thus, causing ovulation disorder.

The Connection Between Ovulation Disorders and Infertility:
Ovulation disorders are one of the common causes of female infertility. During a regular menstrual cycle, the endocrine system gets the body ready for pregnancy by secreting hormones, such as luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH).

Basically, FSH and GnRH are two such hormones that get the major responsibility for maturing an egg in the ovary. And, LH spurs the release of this matured egg into the fallopian tube where it can get fertilized by sperms.

Although the length of this cycle varies; women with regular ovulation tend to have a 28-days long menstrual cycle and ovulate once in that period. However, females with hormone deficiencies or imbalance may get absent or infrequent ovulation; as a result, they may experience infertility.

Types of Ovulation Disorders:
Undeniably, the endocrine system plays a significant role in the menstrual cycle and the process of conceiving. Certain conditions, medicines and lifestyle factors like being underweight or overweight, can impact the levels of hormones; thus, causing irregular production of hormones or damaging the ovaries, which lead to ovulation disorder.

The two common symptoms of ovulation disorder are absent or irregular periods and difficulty in conceiving. However, most of the disorders have varying symptoms. Thus, you must look at the disorder you are dealing with. Some of the primary disorders are:

• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS):
Although the exact reason behind the occurrence of PCOS is still undetected, it is likely because of the imbalanced hormones impacting the androgen levels as well as the insulin receptivity in women. Once the androgen levels are elevated, this can result in PCOS and several other issues.

• Hypothalamic Amenorrhea:

Women dealing with hypothalamic amenorrhea may get to experience irregular or absent ovulation as the bodies don't have the required fat or nutrients content to send hormone impulse to their ovaries.

• Premature Ovarian Failure & Menopause:
Also known as the Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI), the Premature Ovarian Failure (POF) is the beginning of menopause before the age of 40. During this time, the ovaries don't produce estrogen; thus, leading to ovulation disorders.

Lifestyle Factors that Cause Ovulation Disorders:
There are certain lifestyle factors that can cause ovulation disorders, such as:

• Lesser levels of physical activity
• Overweight or underweight
• Certain medications, such as anti-inflammatory drugs
• Steroids
• Using different birth control methods

Final Words:
Ovulation disorders are becoming high reasons behind female infertility these days. Therefore, it is nothing but essential to detect these symptoms beforehand and discover the disorder your body is dealing with. After this discovery, it becomes easier to treat the issue way before it is late.