The advent of donor eggs from younger women has made it possible for thousand of older women to give birth. Aside from poor egg quality, there are dozens of conditions that can potentially cause female infertility. In many cases, the problems can be successfully treated surgically or medically or bypassed through assisted reproductive techniques. Among other things, PID can lead to blocked or damaged fallopian tubes. Ovulatory dysfunction means that a woman's ovaries are not producing eggs or that egg production has diminished because of age, hormonal imbalances or other problems.
Uterine fibroids can interfere with embryo implantation or fetal growth.
Up to 40 percent of women have these benign uterine tumors, or myomas. Endometriosis is a sometimes painful condition that occurs when tissue from the uterine lining occurs abnormally in other areas of the pelvis. Women and men whose mothers took DES while pregnant with them are at high risk for certain reproductive tract cancers and menstrual irregularities. Many DES daughters have an abnormally shaped uterus that can lead to repeated miscarriages. DES sons are prone to cysts in their reproductive tract, undescended testicles, and other fertility problems.