Hyperprolactinaemia is an excess (“hyper”) level of the “prolactin” hormone at an inappropriate time, which stops ovulation. Prolactin is essential for the survival of all mammals as raised levels promote the production of milk (lactate) after childbirth. Its crucial women have high prolactin levels to breastfeed, and t...
Premature ovarian failure (POF) or “premature menopause” is a surprisingly common condition that affects one woman in a thousand at 30 and about one in a hundred at 40. i POF is a very challenging diagnosis to come to terms with because it brings both infertility and the early arrival of menopause. Menopause happens at around 50 for most wome...
Luteinised Unruptured Follicle Syndrome (LUFS) is a subtle variation of regular cycles that effectively prevents pregnancy. The condition isn’t that well known, partly because nearly everything in menstrual cycles works as it should: The dominant follicle develops as normal There’s a normal luteinising hormone (LH) “surge...
Low hormone levels prevent regular ovulation for many women and is a condition termed “hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism”, which means “low sex hormone levels causing sex organs to under-function. The menstrual cycle relies on the release of hormones from three glands to function, and a lack of hormones from any of them reduces ...
Investigations for anovulation are essential when deciding treatment choices, and as the main cause of female infertility is a lack of ovulation, these tests are crucial. In total, about 30-40% of couple infertility is female based; the same is true for men, with the rest being combined factors between the couple. However, about a third of cou...
