Anovulation

Anovulation

The failure to release an egg in the ovulation process, which then leads to INFERTILITY.
Women with regular menstrual cycles typically have predictable times of ovulation. Those women with AMENORRHEA (failure to menstruate) usually have complete anovulation and, thus, do not ovulate at all. Women with irregular cycles (oligomenorrhea) have an erratic pattern of ovulation. Anovulation has many different etiologies (causes).

POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME (PCOS) is often a cause of anovulation. Patients with PCOS often have insulin resistance syndrome (IRS). In addition to IRS, LUTEINIZING HORMONE secretions are often abnormal.


The combination leads to hyperandrogenism, the likely underlying cause of the anovulation. Other causes of anovulation are HYPOTHYROIDISM and MENOPAUSE. The physician should screen the patient for thyroid dysfunction before attempting any direct treatment for anovulation.


Said Brinda N. Kalro, M.D., in a 2003 article in Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics, “With the availability of ovulation-inducing agents, there is a possibility that thyroid disorders may be overlooked in women presenting with menstrual irregularities and anovulation. Pregnancy in women with overt thyroid disease is uncommon, but when it does occur, it can be fraught with complications and have grave consequences. Therefore, evaluation of the thyroid axis in women presenting with thyroid problems is imperative.”


Successful diagnosis and treatment of the underlying disease may resolve a woman’s anovulation. If the cause cannot be determined, sometimes ovulation can be stimulated with fertility drugs. These drugs should be administered and monitored by a physician who is experienced in treating women with infertility.