menopause in women

as women ages the quantity and quality of the ova produced declines
as a woman ages there are changes to the endometrium that make successful implantation more difficult
eventually the woman will stop producing ova
hyperthyroidism/hypothyroidism * under a overactive thyroid glands can cause fertility problems in both sexes * in women hypothyroidism can cause increase in the levels of prolactin which inhibits the FSH production * hypothyroidism in women causes irregular menstrual cycles and thinner endometrium * harder to conceive and less likely to implant and remain * in males both conditions can lead to erectile dysfunction * reduced testosterone production that lowers the sex drive
ovulation disorders * leading cause of infertility * anovulation (no ovulation) ova does not develop normally * menstruation may or may not take place * causes - hormonal imbalance and eating disorders * women elite athletes who exercise a lot may stop ovulating * oligo ovulation where ovulation is irregular and may have a menustrual cycle that is longer than normal * there may be abnormalities in oocyte formation leading to increased chances of a mischarge
physical barriers to contraception * in females there may be blockages in the fallopian tube that prevent an ova reaching the uterus,the blockage will also prevent sperm from reaching the egg * occurs as a result of an infection (mainly STI’s) * fibroids in the uterus * non cancerous growths in the uterus will that prevent implantation
assisted contraception for debility problems * intrauterine insemination * sperm are introduced into uterus at the time of ovulation * in vitro fertilisation * ova are collected from the mother’s ovary and are fertilised with sperm outside the body and reintroduced into the uterus * donated gametes are used in the above methods
contraception * contraception * vitro fertilization * female contraception * the pill * patches
contraceptive pill * combined - contain oestrogen and progesterone * usually synthetic versions of the human hormones * work by preventing follicle formation,prevent ovulation and thicken cervical mucus * progesterone only pill * work by inhibiting ovulation,then the endometrium and thicken the cervical mucus * there is no contraceptive pill for men on the market though there have been several types that have undergone medical trails * pills would only work if they reduced testosterone levels sufficiently to prevent sperm production * this is fairly easy to achieve by using injections of slow release progesterone but there are side effects * depression,mood disorders,acne and muscle pain