Unexplained infertility

Causes of unexplained infertility

The causes of unexplained fertility are unknown. There are hundreds of steps involved in the process that leads to a viable pregnancy, and if any one of these is disrupted, it may lead to infertility. Some of the steps in this process are not yet even monitored; it may be that there are factors at play that are not looked into by current diagnostic methods. Alternatively, the infertility may be due to causes that will not become apparent until a cycle of IVF is undergone, such as fertilisation or implantation failure.

Symptoms and diagnosis

Unexplained infertility does not generally coincide with any particular symptoms. The definition of infertility is that it is an inability to conceive after a year of regular unprotected sex, and unexplained infertility occurs when standard fertility testing such as scans, tubal patency tests and semen analysis have failed to show a cause of the infertility. It is generally diagnosed following a number of investigative routes which have yielded no answers.

Choosing the right treatment for you

Intrauterine insemination, or IUI, is one suggested treatment option for unexplained infertility, and has been shown to lead to an increased pregnancy rate compared to intercourse. IVF treatment is also a viable option for couples who suffer from unexplained infertility and usually has the highest success rate compared to other methods of treatment. Our IVF treatments are designed to be gentler on the body than conventional treatment. All use fewer drugs or no drugs at all and work within the natural cycle, with the focus on the quality rather than the quantity of eggs and embryos.

Find out more about our IVF treatments