Does Infertility Run in The Family?

There is no infertility gene. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that some medical conditions that cause infertility can run in families.

Our team of fertility experts at IVFMD in Arlington, Irving, and Grapevine, Texas, have extensive experience diagnosing and treating fertility issues, including those that get passed down from parent to child.

Here, we take a closer look at the connection between your parents’ fertility struggles and your own.

Hereditary conditions that can lead to infertility

The inability to conceive may stem from the female reproductive system, the male reproductive system, or both. Many factors can lead to infertility, including physical blockages, hormonal imbalances, medical conditions, and yes, genetic abnormalities.

Here are a few of the health issues that can pass from generation to generation and make it difficult for you to get pregnant.

Endometriosis

Endometriosis, a condition triggered by the rogue growth of endometrial tissue (uterine lining) outside the confines of your uterus, affects up to 15% of women in their childbearing years.

Up to 50% of women with endometriosis experience infertility, because the disease can scar your fallopian tubes, distort your pelvis, inflame tissues, degrade egg quality, affect your immune system, and alter your hormonal balance.

Endometriosis is known to cluster in families. A 2020 study found a potential genetic mutation — ARID1A — that may be linked to severe forms of endometriosis.

Polycystic ovary syndrome

One of the most common causes of infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) occurs when your ovaries produce too many androgens, often called male sex hormones.

This causes the development of multiple cysts in your ovaries that throws off your menstrual cycle, triggers the onset of excess body hair, and may lead to infertility.

PCOS runs in families.

Chromosomal disorders

If you inherited a chromosomal abnormality from your parents, it may affect your fertility. There are several types of structural chromosome disorders, but two of the most common are translocation and inversion.

Translocation is when a chromosome breaks apart and attaches itself to another chromosome. Inversion is when a chromosome breaks, inverts, and reattaches to itself.

Klinefelter’s syndrome, a cause of male infertility, can also make it difficult to conceive. In this case, the male partner has an extra X chromosome — a condition typically passed down from his father.

These are just a few of the chromosome-related fertility problems you can inherit from your parents. Fortunately, there are ways around most of them.

How to sidestep fertility problems that run in the family

Whether you inherited a condition that has rendered you infertile, or you suffer from one of the many conditions that men and women acquire through illness or injury, our team at IVFMD can help you grow the family of your dreams.

We have extensive experience, use the latest technology, and always keep your desires and goals at the center of all we do. From mini IVF with INVOCELL to aggressive IVF, we offer a full range of in vitro fertilization techniques that can override your fertility issues.

We also offer intrauterine insemination, ovulation induction, and egg freezing. We have you covered no matter what’s hindering your plans to get and stay pregnant.

To learn more about infertility and whether you may suffer from a hereditary condition that’s interfering with your family planning, schedule a consultation at any of our three Texas locations by calling or booking online. We’re located in Irving, Arlington, and Grapevine in the greater Dallas area.