Ovulation disorders, infrequent or absent ovulation (anovulation), typically result in infrequent periods (oligomenorrhea). The results are
- fewer opportunities to conceive
- difficulty detecting a woman's fertile periods
- eggs not breaking through the follicle
- eggs being released off-sync with other factors crucial to fertilization or implantation
Sometypical causes of ovulation disorders include:
- hypothalamus dysfunction
- hyperprolactinemia
- polycystic ovarian syndrome
- luteal phase defect
- tumors of the pituitary or adrenal glands or ovaries
Less typical causes of ovulation disorder are:
- Primary ovarian failure (POF)
- Resistant ovary syndrome
- Autoimmune oophoritis
Diagnosis
In general, assessment for ovulation disorders may begin with the following lab tests:
- serum FSH
- serum LH
- serum prolactin
- serum testosterone
- free androgen index
and may also include:
- CAT scan or MRI scan of pituitary and hypothalamus
- endometrial biopsy
- ovarian biopsy
- more specific antibody tests (antithyroid, adrenal, islet-cell, gastric parietal cell)
Treatment
Treatments vary with the conclusion after diagnostic testing. In general, the treatments may include:
- use of ovulation-inducing fertility medications
- use of other drugs more specific to the diagnosed cause
- nutritional adjustment
- stress reduction
- surgery (in the case of tumors)
Only primary ovarian failure, and the related conditions of resistant ovary syndrome and autoimmune oophoritis, are considered untreatable in regards to fertility.
© Tracy Morris
