Does a Tilted Cervix or Tilted Uterus Cause Infertility

A tilted cervix is generally the cause of having a tilted uterus. Other names for a tilted uterus include: tipped uterus or retroverted uterus. Some women who are experiencing symptoms of infertility are concerned whether or not having a tilted or tipped cervix or uterus could be the blame for their inability to conceive.

How Do I Find Out if I Have a Tilted Cervix or Tilted Uterus

If you think you may have a tilted cervix or uterus then visiting your OB/GYN or infertility specialist for a simple pelvic exam (very similar to your annual pelvic exam) can determine if either are tilted or tipped. The causes for having a tilted cervix or tilted uterus could be the result of some disease, something you were born with, or the uterus could have been tipped during your last labor and delivery of a child. The same way a uterus can be tilted during childbirth, it can be tipped back to the normal up and down position with a subsequent labor and delivery.

How Does a Tilted Cervix Cause Infertility Like Problems

Just having a tilted cervix causes no fertility issues for natural conception; however, it does cause some challenges in the infertility clinic. For the procedure of in vitro fertilization, the infertility specialist often finds difficulties with the IVF for a woman with a tilted cervix. The infertility specialist can complete the IVF procedure with the woman having a tilted cervix successfully, but it is a bit more challenging than doing in vitro on a normally structured cervix.

How Does a Tilted Uterus Cause Infertility Like Problems

For many women with a tilted uterus, especially one that is tilted forward, natural conception can be difficult for the woman and pose infertility type issues. Not true infertility, but similar. The similarity is the difficulty with getting the egg fertilized because these women often suffer from a condition known as dyspareunia. Dyspareunia causes the woman pain when her partners penis hits her cervix during sexual intercourse. Due to the pain, and for some the pain is intense, the woman cannot bare completing sex and thus the man can not transfer his sperm to fertilize the egg.

Using a Pessary to Help with Tilted Uterus Sexual Pain

The use of a pessary (a round silicone or plastic piece placed into the vagina to cause sex to be less painful). For some woman they say that placing the pessary has made for less painful intercourse, on the downside; however, men report penile pain when the woman uses the pessary during intercourse. Trying different sexual positions may help as well.

Having a tilted cervix does not directly cause infertility. It does make a bit of a challenge for an infertility specialist to do an in vitro fertilization, but it can and is done often with success. The main infertility like problem with a tilted uterus is pain during intercourse. This, as detailed above, can be worked around-especially if the couple is loving and the male partner is compassionate and understanding of the woman's condition. A tilted uterus, if causing serious infertility issues due to painful intercourse, etc. the infertility specialist or a gynecologist can input a uterus harness that will hold up the uterus and help alleviate pain during intercourse cause by a tilted uterus and decrease infertility like problems and hopefully lead to conception, healthy pregnancy, and problem free labor and delivery with a tilted uterus.

Sources:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tilted-cervix/AN01895

http://www.babyhopes.com/articles/tippeduterus.html

http://www.wikipedia.com/pessary