What Is A Hostile Uterus? Know How It Can Lead To Infertility
There is no doubt that fertility problems have become a significant cause of concern for couples in the modern world. About 10-15 per cent of the couples worldwide can face an issue while trying to conceive and this incidence is increaing significantly. According to WHO, there are 186 million infertile individuals and 48 million couples globally.
Infertility can be caused by various factors affecting males and females almost equally. However, with women in particular, infertility has become a major problem. Lifestyle practices like, unhealthy eating habits, lack of exercise, excessive consumption of alcohol and smoking, lack of sleep and a hostile uterus are all potential causes.
Talking about the hostile uterus, particularly, is a condition of female hormonal imbalance that can impair fertility by preventing sperm from penetrating the oocyte, reducing the chances of implantation of the embryo and also increasing the chances of miscarriage. But on the brighter side, there are treatments available for a hostile uterus that can boost your fertility and add to your chances of a healthy conception.
Hostile uterus
Amongst the various factors leading to female infertility, uterine factors are equally important to be evaluated, so that it can be dealt with early effective treatment to achieve pregnancy. It is a disorder that reduces your chances of getting pregnant by preventing sperm migration with insufficient or poor cervical mucus. The endometrium or the lining of the uterus gets damaged with excessive lubricants or contracting an infection from your partner during sexual activity.
The use of lubricants tend to mix with normal uteruine secretions, which might change the pH of the vagina. Thus, even the healthiest of sperms are unable to reach the egg and fertilise it. Apart from that, a hostile uterus can also occur from ongoing stress, poor diet, coffee, and cigarettes, which can all trigger reaction that tend to change the pH of the cervical mucus.
Most commonly, elevated estradiol levels during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle cause the cervical mucus to change from thick and impenetrable mucus to more thin and liqufied form. Also, hostile cervical mucus can prevent sperm from passing during the entire peri-ovulatory phase, cause sperm to be destroyed by allowing the passage of vaginal germs, or, in extremely rare circumstances, may include antibodies to semen.
In addition, couples who are unaware of fertile period are more likely to time intercourse incorrectly and hence tend to face problem in conceiving. Some of them end up engaging in sexual activity when there is insufficient mucus, which reduces the likelihood of conception.
When the cervix is moist and mucus is present, conception is possible; however, when the cervix is dry and mucus is absent, the likelihood of conception is reduced. Additionally, if you notice that your cervix is frequently more dry than usual, it may be a sign of a hostile uterus, and you should seek professional advice immediately.
Hostile uterus and infertility
Before reaching its final objective of fertilising an egg and creating an embryo, sperm travels a long way through a woman's body. In truth, millions of sperm enter a woman's body during a sexual intercourse, but only the strongest ones make it to the egg that has been implanted in the fallopian tube following ovulation.On the other hand, the weaker sperms are eliminated as they pass through the cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes, and vagina. Therefore, the effectiveness of spontaneous fertilisation depends on how cervical mucusis and the egg quality and sperm interaction with the egg.
Also,the healthier sperms are prevented from reaching the egg if there are any pathological changes in the female vaginal tract .This kind of circumstance frequently occurs along with abnormal cervical mucus,which further degrades the sperm's habitat and reduces the chances of pregnancy. Today, many couples go through this problem and they happen to realise about it only when it's too late.
Treatment
Hormonal treatments and other methods of fertilisation have been developed with the advancement of modern technology, increasing the likelihood of healthy conception for couples. One such technique is Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), in which mucus does not play a significant role and the semen is instead placed directly into the uterus after semen preparation, resulting in a healthy pregnancy.
In addition, In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) is another technique that is frequently employed in modern times.When there is more than one reason causing infertility, IVF is the last resort for a healthy pregnancy. The mature eggs are directly removed from the ovaries during this process, mixed with sperm in an IVF lab, and then placed back into the uterus when one or more morphologically good embryos are ready. Therefore, if you have a hostile uterus, there are treatments that can assist you in conceiving a child.
