Understanding Female Infertility

Key Points:

• Female infertility can affect many and may be difficult to diagnose.
• There are many reasons why you could be experiencing female infertility.
• Surrogacy can be a great family-building alternative when you’re experiencing female infertility.

Female infertility is a sensitive topic and can feel difficult to talk about. That’s why we want you and your partner to know you can still build the family you’ve always dreamed of creating.

Speak with a specialist today

If you want to read more about infertility in women and other family-building options before talking to a professional, continue reading.

Disclaimer: You should always speak to a medical professional to determine if you’re experiencing female infertility. This article is only intended for educational purposes and is not medical advice.

What is Female Infertility?

The Mayo Clinic explains that female infertility is when a woman tries and is unable to get pregnant through unprotected, frequent sex for at least a year.

Generally, for a pregnancy to occur, the following must happen:

• One ovary must release a mature egg
• The egg needs to be picked up by the fallopian tube
• Sperm must be able to reach the fallopian tube containing the egg
• The egg must be fertilized and travel into the uterus
• The fertilized egg must implant in the uterus and grow

Similar to male infertility, female infertility is difficult to diagnose.

Causes of Infertility in Women

If you’re a woman experiencing infertility, you may feel guilty about not being able to conceive. It’s important to know that your infertility diagnosis is not your fault and you’ve done nothing wrong.

Common myths – like women are more likely to be infertile – are untrue. Women and men are just as likely to experience infertility. And often, infertility is caused by a number of factors that affect both people within a couple.

There are quite a few reasons a woman could experience female infertility.

The following are just a few of the types of female infertility that a doctor could diagnose:

• Ovulation disorders: These include polycystic ovary syndrome, hypothalamic dysfunction, primary ovarian insufficiency, and more.
• Damage to fallopian tubes: Other medical conditions, such as previous abdominal surgery or pelvic inflammatory disease, can cause infertility. 
• Endometriosis: When tissue that grows inside the uterus grows elsewhere, it can cause scarring. This can disrupt implantation or block fallopian tubes.
• Uterine or cervical causes: This includes benign tumors or polyps, uterine issues, cervical stenosis, and more.
• And more: Similar to male infertility, several small factors with both partners can cause a couple to experience infertility. Sometimes infertility factors can correct themselves, but it’s best to talk to a medical professional if you suspect you’re experiencing female infertility. 

Female Infertility Symptoms

Although the main symptom of female infertility is being unable to become pregnant over an extended period, other signs may help a doctor make a diagnosis.

Irregular Menstrual Cycle

One possible sign of infertility is an irregular menstrual cycle.

Consider talking to a doctor if your menstrual cycle is:

• Long (35 days or more)
• Short (less than 21 days)
• Absent or irregular (this could mean you are not ovulating)

Consider Your Medical History

Although it can be challenging to pinpoint the exact reason for female infertility, the following medical conditions are sometimes linked to the difficulty of conceiving.

• A history of irregular or painful periods
• Pelvic inflammatory disease
• Repeated miscarriages
• Cancer treatment
• Endometriosis

Female Infertility and Surrogacy

If you’ve recently discovered you’re experiencing female infertility, it’s essential to know you aren’t alone. The Office on Women’s Health reports that 10% of women (6.1 million) in the United States aged 15-44 have difficulty getting and staying pregnant.

It’s normal to feel sad upon finding out you may not be able to grow your family in the way you’ve always imagined. Once you’ve processed how you feel about your female infertility diagnosis, you and your partner may start to consider other family-building options. One common option that intended parents choose to pursue is surrogacy.

Surrogacy Basics

Surrogacy involves different people who have one goal: To bring a healthy child into the world.

On your surrogacy journey, you will work with:

• A surrogate who will carry and deliver your child
• A surrogacy agency that will provide you with surrogacy professionals who can safely and legally complete your surrogacy
• A fertility clinic that helps create the embryo that will be transferred to the surrogate

All modern surrogacies are gestational. This means the surrogate mother is not related to the baby she carries.

Intended parents typically spend anywhere from $60,000 to $150,000 during the surrogacy journey. These fees cover the surrogate’s medical and legal care and provide her base compensation. A surrogate never has to pay to become a surrogate.

Choosing Surrogacy to Grow Your Family

Surrogacy has helped many women diagnosed with female infertility grow their families. No matter the type of female infertility you’re experiencing, a surrogacy agency and fertility clinic can help you have a child.

A surrogacy professional can help you start your surrogacy journey with your partner in one of two ways:

• Through fertility treatments, procedures, or medicine
• With the help of an egg donor

If you and your partner choose to start a surrogacy journey, you have two surrogacy options depending on your female infertility diagnosis and comfort level. A surrogacy agency can help you navigate this process.

Using Your Egg in Surrogacy

If your doctor determines that the female infertility you’re experiencing doesn’t affect your egg health, you may be able to use your egg in your surrogacy. Your fertility clinic will be able to help you and your partner navigate this journey.

Working with a Donor in Surrogacy

You may decide to work with a gamete donor for many different reasons.

Some common reasons include:

• Your female infertility diagnosis affects your eggs
• You have a genetic diagnosis that you’d prefer not to pass along to a child
• You are in a same-sex couple and choose to use a sperm donor
• You are a single woman and decide to use a sperm donor

The surrogacy agency you work with will get you in contact with a fertility clinic that can provide you and your partner with the donor who fits your needs.

Start Your Surrogacy Journey Today

If you are looking for a surrogacy agency to work with during your surrogacy, consider these organizations:

• American Surrogacy
• Circle Surrogacy
• Growing Generations
• Creating Families
• Simple Surrogacy

Female infertility shouldn’t stop you from becoming a parent. Contact us today if you’re ready to talk about your family-building options.