Etiology of female infertility: analysis of 3 335 cases with diagnostic laparoscopy

Objective To investigate distribution pattern of the causes of female infertility. Methods The clinical data of 3 335 infertile women undergoing laparoscopic examination from January 1984 to March 1998 were retrospectively analyzed. Results Of 1 905 patients with primary infertility, 41.7% were with salpingitis, 30.1% with endometriosis, 16.8% with polycystic ovaries,and 11.4% with other diseases. In the patients with obstruction of both fallopian tubes, 59.6% was due to tuberculosis. Among 1 430 patients with secondary infertility, 45.3% were with salpingitis, 30.6% with endometriosis,15.0% with poly cystic ovaries, and 9.1% with other reasons. About 22.8% patients with bilateral tubal obstruction had tuberculosis, which was significantly different with those of primary infertility ( P 0.01). Conclusion The most common cause for female infertility is salpingitis in the past 15 years, which is increasing,and the secondary cause is endometriosis with a tendency of decrease.