The ASRM Patient Fact Sheet is a series produced under the direction of the ASRM Patient Education Committee and the Publications Committee.
These fact sheets may be printed and distributed to patients to enhance patient education as long as the text is not altered and proper credit must be attributed to ASRM. Additional copies of booklets can be purchased in the ASRM Store.
Some Patient Education Fact Sheets are available en Español and 中文版本.
Posted Feb 24, 2017
Abnormal uterine bleeding occurs when either the frequency or quantity of uterine bleeding differs from that mentioned above or the woman has spotting or bleeding between her menstrual periods.
Posted Feb 28, 2017
Generally, reproductive potential decreases as women get older, and fertility can be expected to end 5 to 10 years before menopause.
Posted Feb 28, 2017
Ovulation is the release of an egg from a woman’s ovaries and is essential for getting pregnant.
Posted Mar 09, 2017
Bioidentical hormones are hormones made from plants that mimic hormones your body produces.
Posted Mar 09, 2017
As women get older, they may encounter difficulty getting pregnant (conceiving) with a healthy baby. Women are born with about 1-2 million eggs. Most of the eggs die off naturally (just like the way we lose skin and hair cells every day).
Posted Mar 09, 2017
Surgery can be used to treat problems with your ovaries or fallopian tubes such as cysts, endometriosis or infections. Adnexal surgery involves any of the organs that are on the sides of (“next to”) the uterus (womb), such as the fallopian tubes and ovaries.
Posted Mar 09, 2017
Infertility is “the inability to conceive after 12 months of unprotected intercourse.”
Posted Mar 09, 2017
An evaluation of a woman for infertility is appropriate for women who have not become pregnant after having 12 months of regular, unprotected intercourse.
Posted Mar 10, 2017
A woman’s age is one of the most important factors affecting whether she is able to conceive and give birth to a healthy child. This is due to several changes that are a natural part of aging.
Posted Mar 10, 2017
An ectopic pregnancy is any pregnancy that grows outside of the uterus (womb). In a normal pregnancy, the egg meets the sperm (is fertilized) in the fallopian tube and the embryo (fertilized egg) travels through the tube to the uterus.
Posted Mar 10, 2017
The diagnosis of an ectopic pregnancy is usually unexpected and is often emotionally traumatic. Many women may have only recently discovered they were pregnant when they receive the diagnosis.
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Endometrial ablation is a medical procedure that removes the lining of the uterus, called the endometrium.
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Women with endometriosis may experience infertility, pelvic pain, or both.
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Endometriosis is when tissue is found outside the uterus that appears similar to the lining of the uterus (endometrium).
Posted Mar 10, 2017
When tissue like the tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus (endometrium) is found outside the uterus, it is termed “endometriosis.”
Posted Mar 10, 2017
If you haven’t been able to get pregnant after trying for 6 months, some tests can be done to help find the reason. Your doctor may test your hormone levels, your partner’s sperm, and your reproductive organs (ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus [womb]).
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Can a fertility program or clinic deny treatment to patient(s) if there is concern about the ability to care for the child(ren)? Yes. Fertility programs can withhold services if there are signs that patients will not be able to care for child(ren).
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Uterine fibroids are benign (noncancerous) tumors of muscle tissue in the uterus. They are also called myomas or leiomyomas.
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Birth defects, which occur in nearly one in 20 pregnancies, range in severity from minor anatomic abnormalities to extensive genetic disorders or mental retardation. Some couples have a greater than average risk of having a child with a birth defect.
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Hirsutism is the excessive growth of facial or body hair on women.
Posted Mar 10, 2017
The fallopian tubes are attached to the uterus (womb) on the left and right sides. Normally, the fallopian tube picks up an egg as it is released (ovulated) from the ovary each month, and this is usually where sperm and egg meet.
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) is when the thyroid gland produces less thyroid hormone than it should. The thyroid gland is found in the lower part of the throat and partially wraps around the upper windpipe (trachea).
Posted Mar 10, 2017
A hysterosalpingogram or HSG is an x-ray procedure used to see whether the fallopian tubes are patent (open) and if the inside of the uterus (uterine cavity) is normal. HSG is an outpatient procedure that usually takes less than 5 minutes to perform.
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Infertility is typically defined as the inability to achieve pregnancy after one year of unprotected intercourse.
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Infertility is a medical condition that touches all aspects of your life. It may affect your relationships with others, your perspective on life, and how you feel about yourself. How you deal with these feelings will depend on your personality and life experiences.
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common reproductive disorder, affecting 5% to10% of women of reproductive age. Women with PCOS have a number of conditions that may include irregular menstrual cycles, an increase in facial and body hair, increased weight, and infertility.
Posted Nov 06, 2018
Injury to and/or infection of the endometrium may damage the lining and cause formation of adhesions (scar tissue) between the inner walls of the uterus where the walls abnormally adhere or stick to each other. Asherman syndrome is a term used to describe adhesions inside the uterus.
Posted Mar 12, 2017
Birth control methods are different in how well they work. Each birth control method has its own risks. There are also risks that happen when the birth control method is not used correctly.
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Many women have pain in their pelvis (lower part of the belly) from time to time, usually during their period. However, if you have daily pelvic pain, it could be a sign of a bigger problem with your bladder, bowels, reproductive organs, or pelvic muscles.
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Posted Mar 12, 2017
The menopausal transition (perimenopause) is the period that links a woman’s reproductive (childbearing) years and menopause. A woman is said to be in menopause if she has had no menstrual periods for 1 year.
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Most women will use birth control pills at some time in their lives. But many women don’t know that birth control pills also can be used to treat a variety of female problems and can have some surprising health benefits.
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Puberty refers to the specific physical changes that happen as a child develops into an adult. Though they happen in different areas of the body, these changes are all related to each other.
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Some women may need medicines to help them ovulate (release eggs). This is called ovulation induction and may be done for two reasons.
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Often, women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) do not have regular menstrual periods. This usually means that a woman doesn’t ovulate (release an egg) every month and may have trouble getting pregnant.
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is an excessive response to taking the medicines (especially injectable gonadotropins) used to make eggs grow. Rarely, OHSS can result from taking other medications, such as clomiphene citrate or gonadotropin-releasing hormone.
Posted Mar 10, 2017
A woman’s ability to get pregnant normally decreases as she gets older. In later life, women have fewer eggs, egg quality goes down, and eggs have more abnormalities in their chromosomes (genetic material).
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Ovulation, the release of an egg from its follicle in one of a woman’s two ovaries, is one of the most important factors in conceiving a child. Once ovulated, the egg is picked up by one of the fallopian tubes and begins traveling toward the uterus.
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Polycystic ovary syndrome is a common hormone disorder that affects 5%-10% of women. Like all syndromes, PCOS is a collection of problems that are found together. Not all women with PCOS have all the same symptoms.
Posted Mar 10, 2017
Progesterone is a hormone produced by the ovary. It is first detected in the middle of the menstrual cycle when an egg is released (ovulation).
Posted Mar 11, 2017
Your reproductive system ages faster than you may realize. Some women, after completing college, settling into a career, or waiting for the right partner, find that they have problems getting pregnant due to age-related infertility.
Posted Mar 11, 2017
Robotic surgery is a form of laparoscopy. Laparoscopy is minimally invasive surgery, usually performed in an outpatient setting.
Posted Mar 11, 2017
Posted Mar 13, 2017
Fibroids usually do not require treatment because most patients with fibroids do not have symptoms. Women with fibroids should have regular checkups to determine if the fibroids are changing in size, to track worsening symptoms, and if planning to get pregnant.
Posted Mar 13, 2017
One of the easiest ways to determine if you are underweight or overweight is to calculate your body mass index (BMI). There are many tables available online (search term: BMI table). Enter your height and weight into the tool to see your BMI.
Posted Mar 13, 2017
Uterine fibroids (also called myomas or leiomyomas) are benign (noncancerous) tumors of muscle tissue found in the uterus. They can enlarge and/or distort the uterus (womb) and sometimes the cervix (lower part of the uterus). They grow from the smooth muscle cells in the wall of the uterus.
Posted Mar 13, 2017
Turner syndrome (TS) is an infrequent genetic disorder in females. About 1 in every 2,000 female babies born is affected.
Posted Mar 13, 2017
Women who take fertility medicines to get pregnant have a higher chance of having more than one fetus in a pregnancy. Fetus is the term for developing humans from 11 weeks of pregnancy until birth.
Posted Mar 13, 2017
In vitro maturation (IVM) is when a woman’s eggs are collected and matured outside the body. This is done as part of an in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure.
Posted Mar 13, 2017