Uterine or Cervical Abnormalities and Fertility
Many things can cause infertility. If you are trying to get pregnant and have had a year or more of unprotected sexual intercourse, you and your partner should be checked for fertility issues. Problems with a woman’s uterus and/or cervix are among the problems that can cause infertility.
When there are abnormalities with the uterus, egg fertilization and embryo development can be affected. These abnormalities include:
- Fibroids: These benign tumors, located in the uterine wall, can alter the shape or size of the uterine cavity and impact the embryo’s ability to implant. In rare instances, they may block the fallopian tubes.
- Endometriosis: When endometrial tissue implants and grows outside of the uterus, the function of the ovaries, uterus, and fallopian tubes may be affected.
- Polyps: Fertility can be affected by either uterine or cervical polyps. Uterine polyps are lesions of the uterine wall, and cervical polyps are smooth growths in the cervix. Polyps can impair fertilization or embryo growth.
- Adhesions are bands of scar tissue that form between or inside abdominal organs. When uterine adhesions are severe, they can block or distort the inside of the uterus, making it difficult to carry a pregnancy to full term.
Adhesions can also be caused by infection of the endometrium. Asherman syndrome is another term for uterine adhesions.
Some abnormalities of the uterus happen before birth. In some cases, the uterus or fallopian tubes do not form normally. These types of malformations are known as Müllerian anomalies, and there are several subtypes.
