Unexplained Infertility

- Frontmatter - Contents - Contributors - Foreword - Preface - Introduction - PART I PHYSIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION - PART II INFERTILITY EVALUATION AND TREATMENT - 6 Evaluation of the Infertile Female - 7 Fertiloscopy - 8 Microlaparoscopy - 9 Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecologic Laparoscopy - 10 Laparoscopic Tubal Anastomosis - 11 Tubal Microsurgery versus Assisted Reproduction - 12 The Future of Operative Laparoscopy for Infertility - 13 Operative Hysteroscopy for Uterine Septum - 14 Laser in Subfertility - 15 Ultrasonography of the Endometrium for Infertility - 16 Ultrasonography of the Cervix - 17 Transrectal Ultrasonography in Male Infertility - 18 The Basic Semen Analysis: Interpretation and Clinical Application - 19 Evaluation of Sperm Damage: Beyond the WHO Criteria - 20 Male Factor Infertility: State of the ART - 21 Diagnosis and Treatment of Male Ejaculatory Dysfunction - 22 Ovulation Induction - 23 Clomiphene Citrate for Ovulation Induction - 24 Aromatase Inhibitors for Assisted Reproduction - 25 Pharmacodynamics and Pharmacokinetics of Gonadotrophins - 26 The Future of Gonadotrophins: Is There Room for Improvement? - 27 Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome - 28 Reducing the Risk of High-Order Multiple Pregnancy Due to Ovulation Induction - 29 Hyperprolactinemia - 30 Medical Management of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome - 31 Surgical Management of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome - 32 Endometriosis-Associated Infertility - 33 Medical Management of Endometriosis - 34 Reproductive Surgery for Endometriosis-Associated Infertility - 35 Congenital Uterine Malformations and Reproduction - 36 Unexplained Infertility - 37 “Premature Ovarian Failure”: Characteristics, Diagnosis, and Management - PART III ASSISTED REPRODUCTION - PART IV ETHICAL DILEMMAS IN FERTILITY AND ASSISTED REPRODUCTION - Index - Plate section - References from PART II - INFERTILITY EVALUATION AND TREATMENT Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 August 2010 Book contents - Frontmatter - Contents - Contributors - Foreword - Preface - Introduction - PART I PHYSIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION - PART II INFERTILITY EVALUATION AND TREATMENT - 6 Evaluation of the Infertile Female - 7 Fertiloscopy - 8 Microlaparoscopy - 9 Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecologic Laparoscopy - 10 Laparoscopic Tubal Anastomosis - 11 Tubal Microsurgery versus Assisted Reproduction - 12 The Future of Operative Laparoscopy for Infertility - 13 Operative Hysteroscopy for Uterine Septum - 14 Laser in Subfertility - 15 Ultrasonography of the Endometrium for Infertility - 16 Ultrasonography of the Cervix - 17 Transrectal Ultrasonography in Male Infertility - 18 The Basic Semen Analysis: Interpretation and Clinical Application - 19 Evaluation of Sperm Damage: Beyond the WHO Criteria - 20 Male Factor Infertility: State of the ART - 21 Diagnosis and Treatment of Male Ejaculatory Dysfunction - 22 Ovulation Induction - 23 Clomiphene Citrate for Ovulation Induction - 24 Aromatase Inhibitors for Assisted Reproduction - 25 Pharmacodynamics and Pharmacokinetics of Gonadotrophins - 26 The Future of Gonadotrophins: Is There Room for Improvement? - 27 Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome - 28 Reducing the Risk of High-Order Multiple Pregnancy Due to Ovulation Induction - 29 Hyperprolactinemia - 30 Medical Management of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome - 31 Surgical Management of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome - 32 Endometriosis-Associated Infertility - 33 Medical Management of Endometriosis - 34 Reproductive Surgery for Endometriosis-Associated Infertility - 35 Congenital Uterine Malformations and Reproduction - 36 Unexplained Infertility - 37 “Premature Ovarian Failure”: Characteristics, Diagnosis, and Management - PART III ASSISTED REPRODUCTION - PART IV ETHICAL DILEMMAS IN FERTILITY AND ASSISTED REPRODUCTION - Index - Plate section - References INTRODUCTION Human beings are not very fertile mammals, with an average monthly fecundity rate of only 20 percent. Formal evaluation of infertility is generally indicated in women attempting pregnancy who fail to conceive after a year or more of regular, unprotected intercourse; 85 percent of couples who will achieve pregnancy without assistance succeed within this interval of time (1,2). However, most couples seeking therapy for infertility are not truly sterile but have some degree of subfertility (i.e., the couples have conditions associated with a relative decrease in the monthly likelihood of conception) and can achieve pregnancy without treatment (1,3,4). Thus, in contrast to the treatment of sterility, it cannot be assumed that the pregnancy that occurs after treatment for subfertility is attributable solely to the treatment because it could have occurred by chance. Such treatment-independent pregnancies are more likely in couples designated as having unexplained infertility. Despite advances in the diagnosis of causes of subfertility, inability to conceive remains unexplained in 15–30 percent of fully investigated couples (1,5). In these couples, the delay in conception may represent a chance delay or may be, in many cases, the result of an as yet undetected abnormality in the reproductive process. Cumulative pregnancy rates of 60 percent may be achieved within two years; however, for infertility of greater than three years duration, monthly fecundity rates in untreated couples are 1–2 percent (6,7). - Type - Chapter - Information - Infertility and Assisted Reproduction , pp. 332 - 338Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2008 . The Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Optimal evaluation of the infertile female. Fertil Steril 2004; 82 (Suppl. 1):S169–S172. Treatment-independent pregnancy among infertile couples. N Engl J Med 1983; 309:1201–1206.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed , , , . 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