Struggling to conceive? Here's why some women are unable to get pregnant!

Zee Media Bureau

London: Fertility problems are becoming a common issue among married women with many young couples having trouble conceiving or sustaining a pregnancy.

Now, researchers have uncovered a new insight into why some females have difficulty getting pregnant, a finding that could give new hope to women struggling to conceive.

They found that endometriosis - a chronic condition affecting around 10 per cent of women - may be the reason behind their difficulty in getting pregnant.

Endometriosis -- chronic abdominal pain, irregular periods, and lowered fertility -- is strongly associated with infertility and up to 50 per cent of women who require infertility treatment have it, the study said.

In order to become pregnant, a woman must produce a mature egg, which then is released to be fertilised.

However, the study found that eggs in women who have endometriosis are affected by a very hostile uterine environment that lowers fertility.

In women with endometriosis, ability of the egg to mature gets blocked as it suffers serious damage by exposure to follicular fluid and the egg quality gets severely compromised, the researchers explained.

"The study found that fluid from the follicles of patients with endometriosis was found to block egg maturation by generating free-radical chemicals called Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) in the egg, which damage their DNA. This damage caused the egg not to mature, and hence it could not be fertilised," added Simon Lane, doctoral student at the University of Southampton.

More research is now needed to investigate whether such damage caused by endometriosis is treatable or preventable, Lane said.

According to researchers, the effects of endometriosis on eggs could be prevented by antioxidants, as they can decrease ROS levels and help eggs to mature.

Ovulation problem is the most common cause of infertlity in women. However, there are a number of things that may be keeping them from getting pregnant – blocked fallopian tubes, uterine trouble, cervical issues, hormonal problems, etc.

Besides, certain factors may put a woman at higher risk of infertility. These include – poor diet, smoking, age, alcohol use, stress, being overweight or underweight.

The paper was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

(With IANS inputs)