Exogenous Factors and Female Reproductive Health

Female infertility affects 8–15% of reproductive-aged couples worldwide and ovulatory disorders account of more than a quarter of cases. It is defined as the failure to establish a clinical pregnancy after 12 months of regular and unprotected sexual intercourse in women younger than 35 and after six months in women over the age of 35. The ovaries and the uterus are under the control of many hormones such as LH, FSH, thyroid hormones, GH, prolactin, glucocorticoids, and sex steroids. Thus, an excess or defect of these hormones may account for female infertility. This chapter explains in detail the mechanisms by which each hormone regulates folliculogenesis, uterus decidualization, and embryo implantation in order to understand the complex regulation of female reproduction and of its alteration.