WHAT IS ANOVULATION?
Anovulation means lack of ovulation, or absent ovulation. Ovulation is the release of an egg from the ovary. This must happen in order to achieve pregnancy naturally. If ovulation is irregular, but not completely absent, this is called oligo-ovulation.
Both anovulation and oligo-ovulation are kinds of ovulatory dysfunction. Ovulatory dysfunction is a common cause of female infertility, occurring in up to 40 percent of infertile women.
SYMPTOMS OF ANOVULATION OR OVULATORY DYSFUNCTION
Usually, women with anovulation will have irregular periods. In the worst case, they may not get their cycles at all. If your cycles are shorter than 21 days, or longer than 36 days, you may have ovulatory dysfunction. If your cycles fall within the normal range of 21 to 36 days, but the length of your cycles varies widely from month to month, that may also be a sign of ovulatory dysfunction.
For example, if one month your period is 22 days, the next it’s 35, that many variations between cycles could signal an ovulation problem. It is possible to get your cycles on an almost normal schedule and not ovulate, though this isn’t common. A menstrual cycle where ovulation doesn’t occur is called an anovulatory cycle.
HOW DOES ANOVULATION AND OVULATORY DYSFUNCTION CAUSE INFERTILITY?
For a couple without infertility, the chances of conception are about 25 percent each month. Even when ovulation happens normally, a couple isn’t guaranteed to conceive. When a woman is anovulatory, she can’t get pregnant because there is no egg to be fertilized. If a woman has irregular ovulation, she has fewer chances to conceive, since she ovulates less frequently.
Plus, late ovulation doesn’t produce the best quality eggs. This may also make fertilization less likely. Also, irregular ovulation means the hormones in the woman’s body aren’t quite right.
These hormonal irregularities can sometimes lead to other issues, including:
- Lack of fertile cervical mucus
- Thinner or over-thickening of the endometrium (where the fertilized egg needs to implant)
- Abnormally low levels of progesterone
- A shorter luteal phase
CAUSES OF ANOVULATION
Anovulation and ovulatory dysfunction can be caused by a number of factors. The most common cause of ovulatory dysfunction is polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Other potential causes of irregular or absent ovulation include:
- Obesity
- Too low body weight
- Extreme exercise
- Hyperprolactinemia
- Premature ovarian failure
- Perimenopause, or low ovarian reserves
- Thyroid dysfunction (hyperthyroidism)
- Extremely high levels of stress
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Your Sincerely,
Dr. Ajibade,
B.Sc. Public Health & Alternative Medicine (Cameroon); Diploma in Naturopathy (USA); Diploma in Acupuncture (India & Sri Lanka); mLASTMB (Lagos), mNCPNM (Nigeria), mNANTMP (Nigeria), mACTMPWA(West Africa).
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I. A. & S. Natural Medicare Int’l Ltd.