Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-rvbq7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-11T02:07:51.089Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 5 - Unexplained Infertility

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2019

Jane A. Stewart
Affiliation:
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Get access

Summary

It is estimated that infertility affects 1 in 7 heterosexual couples trying for a child in the United Kingdom. The main causes of infertility are as follows [Figure 5.1]

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Fertility: Assessment and treatment for people with fertility problems. NICE Clinical Guideline CG156. Published February 2013. www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg156/resources/fertility-problems-assessment-and-treatment-pdf-35109634660549Google Scholar
Hull, MG, Glazener, CM, Kelly, NJ, Conway, DI, Foster, PA, Hinton, RA, Coulson, C, Lambert, PA, Watt, EM, Desai, KM. Population study of causes, treatment, and outcome of infertility. BMJ (Clin Res Ed) 1985; 291: 1693CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dunson, DB, Baird, DD, Colombo, B. Increased infertility with age in men and women. Obstet Gynecol. 2004; 103: 5156CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sozou, PD, Hartshorne, GM. Time to pregnancy: a computational method for using the duration of non-conception for predicting conception. PLoS ONE 2012; 7(10): e46544.Google Scholar
Cooper, TG, Noonan, E, Von Eckardstein, S, Auger, J, Baker, HW, Behre, HM, Haugen, TB, Kruger, T, Wang, C, Mbizvo, MT et al. World Health Organization reference values for human semen characteristics. Hum Reprod Update 2010; 16(3): 231245CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scheffer, GJ, Broekmans, FJ, Dorland, M, Habbema, JD, Looman, CW, te Velde, ER. Antral follicle counts by transvaginal ultrasonography are related to age in women with proven natural fertility. Fertil Steril. 1999; 72(5): 845851CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nelson, SM, Fleming, R, Gaudoin, M, Choi, B, Santo-Domingo, K, Yao, M. Antimüllerian hormone levels and antral follicle count as prognostic indicators in a personalized prediction model of live birth. Fertil Steril. 2015; 104(2):325332CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maheux-Lacroix, A, Boutin, A, Moore, L, Bergeron, M-E, Bujold, E, Laberge, P, Lemyre, M, Dodin, S. Hysterosalpingosonography for diagnosing tubal occlusion in subfertile women: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Hum Reprod. 2014; 29: 953963CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mol, BW, Swart, P, Bossuyt, PM, van Beurden, M, van der Veen, F. Reproducibility of the interpretation of hysterosalpingography in the diagnosis of tubal pathology. Hum Reprod. 1996; 11(6): 12041208Google Scholar
al-Badawi, IA, Fluker, MR, Bebbington, MW. Diagnostic laparoscopy in infertile women with normal hysterosalpingograms. J Reprod Med, 1999; 44(11): 953957Google Scholar
Kersten, FA, Hermens, RP, Braat, DD, Hoek, A, Mol, BW, Goddijn, M, Nelen, WL, Improvement Study Group. Overtreatment in couples with unexplained infertility. Hum Reprod. 2015; 30(1):7180Google Scholar
Cheong, Y, Nardo, LG, Rutherford, T, Ledger, W. Acupuncture and herbal medicine in in vitro fertilisation: a review of the evidence for clinical practice. Hum Fertil (Camb). 2010; 13(1): 312CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bhattacharya, S, Harrild, K, Mollison, J, Wordsworth, S, Tay, C, Harrold, A, McQueen, D, Lyall, H, Johnston, L, Burrage, J, Grossett, S, Walton, H, Lynch, J, Johnstone, A, Kini, S, Raja, A, Templeton, A. Clomifene citrate or unstimulated intrauterine insemination compared with expectant management for unexplained infertility: pragmatic randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 2008; 337: a716CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hughes, E, Brown, J, Collins, JJ, Vanderkerchove, P. Clomiphene citrate for unexplained subfertility in women. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010; Issue 1. Art. No.: CD000057. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD000057.pub2CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Veltman-Verhulst, SM, Cohlen, BJ, Hughes, E, Heineman, MJ. Intra-uterine insemination for unexplained subfertility. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012; Issue 9. Art. No.: CD001838. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001838.pub4Google Scholar
Cantineau, AEP, Cohlen, BJ. Ovarian stimulation protocols (anti-oestrogens, gonadotrophins with and without GnRH agonists/antagonists) for intrauterine insemination in women with subfertility. Copyright © 2011 The Cochrane CollaborationGoogle Scholar
Steures, P, van der Steeg, JW, Hompes, PG, et al. Intrauterine insemination with controlled ovarian hyperstimulation versus expectant management for couples with unexplained subfertility and an intermediate prognosis; a randomised clinical trial. Lancet. 2006; 368: 216221Google Scholar
Pandian, Z, Gibreel, A, Bhattacharya, S. In vitro fertilisation for unexplained subfertility. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Apr 18; Issue 4. Art. No.: CD003357Google Scholar
Hughes, EG, Beecroft, ML, Wilkie, V, Burville, L, Claman, P, Tummon, I, Greenblatt, E, Fluker, M, Thorpe, K. A multicentre randomized controlled trial of expectant management versus IVF in women with Fallopian tube patency. Hum Reprod. 2004; 19(5):11051109Google Scholar
Bensdorp, AJ, Tjon-Kon-Fat, RI, Bossuyt, PMM, Koks, CAM, Oosterhuis, GJE, Hoek, A et al. Prevention of multiple pregnancies in couples with unexplained or mild male subfertility: randomised controlled trial of in vitro fertilisation with single embryo transfer or in vitro fertilisation in modified natural cycle compared with intrauterine insemination with controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. BMJ 2015; 350:g7771CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×