Maternal health experts say women who do not release eggs from their ovaries can get pregnant with targeted treatment, lifestyle modifications, surgery, and ovulation induction.
The gynaecologists said the number of women who were having difficulty ovulating was increasing.
The maternal health specialists, in separate exclusive interviews, described ovulation as a product of a delicately controlled complex interaction between hormones, mainly produced by the brain and the ovaries.
They, however, stated that with distortion, which could be physiological, or pathological, ovulation could cease.
A Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Edo State, Dr Qudus Lawal, said, “Usually in humans, it is uniovular (i.e one in a cycle), but there can be multiple ovulation in a cycle.
“It is a product of a delicately controlled complex interaction between hormones, mainly produced by the brain (Hypothalamus, Pituitary) and the ovaries.
“An ovulation shows that the interaction within the axis is intact. However, when there is a distortion, which can be physiological, (such as stress breastfeeding) or pathological (abnormality), ovulation can cease.
“Women at the extreme of their reproductive age do not often ovulate. A woman that does not ovulate may notice a dry vagina, irregular menstruation, or the cervical mucus will remain thick and non-stretchy, and absence of premenstrual symptoms.”
Dr Lawal said the complications of anovulation (not ovulating) range from irregular menstruation, inability to conceive, and increased risk of developing endometrial cancer.
“For a person trying to get pregnant with anovulation, given that the cause of an ovulation can vary, usually the cause will be identified and treatment directed to the identified cause. Often, a woman who is not ovulating can have successful ovulation induction, provided the cause of anovulation is not from ovarian failure,” he added.
Another maternal health expert and a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital, Awka, Anambra State, Dr Stanley Egbogu, said some women did not ovulate due to polycystic ovarian syndrome, premature ovarian failure, lack of ovary or egg degeneration.
He said, “Some people don’t ovulate or don’t ovulate monthly because they have PCOS, they start to produce eggs but those eggs end up not getting to maturity; so, they don’t ovulate. Some people also have premature ovarian failure, it occurs when a woman is close to stopping her menses, but she is less than 40 years old.
“For PCOS, we have drugs that can be given to them as they start their cycle and they can now ovulate, and the medications must be prescribed by a medical expert. There is another drug doctors can give them to induce ovulation, and there are some surgeries for ovarian drilling to make them ovulate.
“The number of people who are having difficulty ovulating now is increasing. Apart from the factors mentioned earlier, others are due to our diets, sedentary lifestyles, and obesity.”
The expert explained that ovarian drilling could work by making small holes in the ovaries to reduce the amount of testosterone that the ovaries produce.
He said lowering the amount of testosterone can help the ovaries produce an egg every month and start regular menstrual cycles.
Source | Punchng
