women s health issues
Infertility Problems With Cervical Mucus
Introduction
Abnormal cervical mucus can prevent sperm from entering the uterus, but this problem is rarely a major cause of infertility. Problems with cervical mucus are not usually a major cause of infertility, but they may be a factor in women who have a cervical infection or scar tissue in the cervix (cervical stenosis). Doctors do a pelvic examination to check for infection and a cervical canal that is narrowed or closed because of scar tissue. Infections and scar tissue, if present, are treated. (See also Overview of Infertility .) Uterus and cervix is secreted by glands in the cervix (the lower part of the uterus that opens into the vagina). Normally, this mucus is thick and impenetrable to sperm until just before release of an egg (ovulation). Then, just before ovulation, the mucus becomes clear and elastic (because the level of the hormone Some women use Fertility Awareness-Based Methods of Contraception to prevent pregnancy or to try to become pregnant. These methods include checking the cervical mucus daily to detect the time when ovulation occurs. Abnormal mucus may do the following: Not change as it normally does at ovulation, making pregnancy unlikely Allow bacteria in the vagina, usually those that cause infection in the cervix ( Cervicitis ), to enter the uterus, sometimes resulting in the destruction of sperm Contain antibodies to sperm, which kill sperm before they can reach the egg (a rare problem) However, problems with cervical mucus rarely impair fertility significantly, except in women who have a chronic cervical infection or a cervical canal that has been narrowed or closed (called Cervical Stenosis ) because of scar tissue. (The cervical canal is the channel in the cervix through which sperm enter and menstrual blood exits.) Scar tissue is usually caused by a surgical procedure, such as one done to treat a precancerous abnormality of the cervix ( Just before an egg is released (ovulation), mucus in the cervix changes consistency to allow sperm to enter the uterus. 