Infertilty Flashcards
What is the definition of infertily?
A disease of the reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after ≥12 months of regular unprotected sexual intercourse.
What is regular intercourse defined as?
Every 2-3 days
What is primary infertilty?
When have not had a live birth previously
What is secondary infertility?
When have had a live birth >12 months previously
What are the impacts of infertilty?
- Psychological distress to the couple
2. Cost to society
What psychological distress to the couple does infertility bring?
- No biological child
- Impact on couples wellbeing
- Impact on larger family
- Investigations
- Treatments (often fail)
What cost to society does infertility bring?
- Less births
- Less tax income
- Investigation costs
- Treatment costs
What are the causes of male infertility?
- Pre-testicular
- Testicular
- Post-testicular
What are the pre-testicular causes of male infertility?
Congenital & Acquired Endocrinopathies:
- Klinefelters 47XXY
- Y chromosome deletion
- HPG, T, PRL
What are the testicular causes of male infertility?
• (Congenital) • Cryptorchidism • Infection -STDs • Immunological -Antisperm Abs • Vascular -Varicocoele • Trauma/Surgery • Toxins -Chemo/DXT/Drugs/Smoking
What are the post-testicular causes of male infertility?
• Congenital -Absence of vas deferens in CF • Obstructive Azoospermia • Erectile Dysfunction -Retrograde Ejaculation -Mechanical Impairment -Psychological • Iatrogenic -Vasectomy
What is cryptorchidism?
Undescended testis
90% in inguinal canal
What is undescended testis?
Cryptorchidism
What are the causes of female infertility?
- Cervical causes (5%)
- Ovarian causes (40%)
- Tubal causes (30%)
- Uterine causes (10%)
- Pelvic causes (5%)
- Unexplained (10%)
What are the cervical causes of female infertility?
Ineffective sperm penetration due:
- Chronic cervicitis
- Immunological (antisperm Ab)
What are the ovarian causes of female infertility?
- Anovulation (Endo)
- Corpus luteum insufficiency
What are the tubal causes of female infertility?
Tubopathy due:
- Infection
- Endometriosis
- Trauma
What are the uterine causes of female infertility?
Unfavourable endometrium due:
- Chronic endometritis (TB)
- Fibroid
- Adhesions (Synechiae)
- Congenital malformation
What are the pelvic causes of female infertility?
- Endometriosis
- Adhesions
What is endometriosis?
Presence of functioning endometrial tissue (responds to oestrogen) outside the uterus
What are the symptoms of endometriosis?
- ↑ Menstrual pain
- Menstrual irregularities
- Deep dyspareunia
- Infertility
What are the treatments of endometriosis?
- Hormonal (eg continuous OCP, prog)
- Laparascopic ablation
- Hysterectomy
- Bilateral Salpingo-oophorectomy
What are fibroids?
Benign tumours of the myometrium
reponds to oestrogen
What are the symptoms of fibroids?
Usually asymptomatic
↑ Menstrual pain
Menstrual irregularities
Deep dyspareunia
Infertility
What are the treatments of fibroids?
Hormonal (eg continuous OCP, prog, continuous GnRH agonists)
Hysterectomy
Describe the HPG (hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal) axis.
- Kisspeptin neurones
- GnRH neurones
Hypophyseal-portal circulation - Gondatroph -> LH and FSH
Systemic cirulcaiton - Testosterone/oestrogen
(Also, progesterone/activin/inhibin)
What is hypogonadism from an issue in the hypothalamus called?
(not measurable)
Hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism
What are the hormone levels from hypogonadism from an issue in the hypothalamus called?
↓GnRH
↓LH ↓FSH
↓T
What is hypogonadism from an issue in the anterior pituitary gland called?
Hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism
What is hypogonadism from an issue in the gonads called?
Hypergonadotrophic hypogonadism
What are the hormone levels like in hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism?
↓LH ↓FSH
↓T
What are the hormone levels like in hypergonadotropic hypogonadism?
↑LH ↑FSH
↓T
What issues in the hypothalamus lead to male infertility?
- Congenital Hypogonadotrophic Hypogonadism
- Anosmic (Kallmann Syndrome)
- or Normosmic - Acquired Hypogonadotrophic Hypogonadism
- Low BMI
- XS exercise
- Stress - Hyperprolactinaemia
What issues in the anterior pituitary gland lead to male infertility?
Hypopituitarism
- Tumour
- Infiltration
- Apoplexy
- Surgery
- Radiation
What issues in the gonads lead to male infertility?
- Congenital Primary Hypogonadism
- Klinefelters (47XXY) - Acquired Primary Hypogonadism
- Cryptorchidism
- Trauma
- Chemo
- Radiation
What issues outside the HPG axis lead to male infertility?
- Androgen Receptor Deficiency (rare)
2. Hyper/Hypothyroidism (reduced bioavailable testosterone)
What are the hormones like in an hyperprolactinaemia?
LH/FSH down
T down
What are the hormones likes in primary testicular failure e.g. Klinefelter’s syndrome?
LH/FSH up
T down
What is Kallmann syndrome?
Failure of migration of GnRH neurons with olfactory fibres