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Infertility Risk Factors for Men and Women

For women - general factors that can affect the ability to ovulate, conceive, or deliver a child successfully include the following:
  • age - women in their late 30s are generally less fertile than women in their early 20s
  • endometriosis
  • chronic diseases (diabetes, lupus, arthritis, hypertension, or asthma)
  • hormonal imbalance
  • environmental factors - cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, or exposure to workplace hazards or toxins
  • excessive or very low body fat
  • abnormal Pap smears that have been treated with cryosurgery or cone biopsy
  • DES taken by mother during pregnancy
  • sexually transmitted diseases
  • fallopian tube disease
  • multiple miscarriages
For men - infertility is not just a woman's problem. Following, is a list of risk factors related to male infertility:
  • history of prostatitis, genital infection, or sexually transmitted diseases
  • exposure to hazards on the job or toxic substances such as radiation, radioactivity, welding, and many chemicals, including lead, ethylene dibromine, and vinyl chloride.
  • cigarette or marijuana smoke
  • heavy alcohol consumption
  • exposure of the genitals to high temperatures
  • hernia repair
  • undescended testicles
  • prescription drugs for ulcers or psoriasis
  • DES taken by mother during pregnancy
  • mumps after puberty

Click here to view the
Online Resources of Women's Health

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As a service to our community, Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network purchases the content under "Diseases & Conditions" from Greystone.net, a provider of health care information for consumers.

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LVH Info Line: 610-402-CARE
Cedar Crest & I-78, P.O. Box 689, Allentown, PA 18105-1556

Lehigh Valley Hospital has campuses in Allentown and Bethlehem, Pa. and serves the Pennsylvania communities of Easton, Doylestown, Quakertown, Hazelton, Lehighton, Perkasie, Pottstown, Pottsville, Reading, Scranton, Wilkes Barre, Stroudsburg, and the Poconos and also Phillipsburg and Flemington, N.J., and western New Jersey. You don't have to travel to Philadelphia or New York for quality health care.

 
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