Unexplained infertility

Miguel A. Ramírez-Marrero, Steven J. Ory
In: Current Opinion in Obstetrics and Gynecology · 1991 · vol. 3(2) , pp. 211–218 · doi:10.1097/00001703-199104000-00008 · W4234601475
article OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 8 in-corpus citations
View on OpenAlex View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This review analyzes potential causes of unexplained infertility, including decreased uterine perfusion and endometrial factors, and evaluates current treatment options while noting the lack of comparative studies.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

Unexplained infertility is a multifactorial disorder of reproduction. This review examines the potential contribution of decreased uterine perfusion, obscure luteal phase defect, intrinsic endometrial factor, ovum captor inhibitor, microscopic endometriosis, and psychologic factors for the cause of unexplained infertility. Although specific therapy for unexplained infertility does not exist and treatment-independent pregnancy frequently occurs in this group of patients, many couples pursue treatment. In vitro fertilization, gamete intrafallopian transfer, zygote intrafallopian transfer, superovulation with intrauterine insemination, and direct intraperitoneal inseminations are several treatment options reported to be successful. However, a randomized prospective study using a uniform diagnostic assessment, strict entry criteria, identical ovulation-induction schemes, and semen-processing protocols is lacking to determine which patients will be most appropriately treated with each procedure and which is more effective. Unexplained infertility is not and should not be considered a permanent state. These couples should be considered to be subfertile rather than infertile.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Condition tags

endometriosisinfertility

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

Cited by (8)

Source provenance

openalex
last seen: 2026-06-04T00:00:01.174412+00:00
unpaywall
last seen: 2026-06-02T02:00:03.124865+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK