Infertility: Problems With the Uterus and Cervix

Topic Overview

Problems with a woman's uterus and/or cervix may be caused by many things. Causes include:

• Abnormalities of the uterus. These may have been present from birth.
• A past surgery or procedure, such as a cervical cone biopsy or a dilation and curettage (D&C). These may decrease fertility if the procedures have damaged the cervix or uterine lining. (This is rare.)
• Exposure to certain drugs before birth, such as DES. These may cause deformities of the uterus, resulting in infertility.
• Abnormalities in a woman's cervical mucus. These may affect the movement of sperm through the vagina and cervix.
• Antibodies to sperm present in a woman's cervical mucus. These may kill the sperm or affect their ability to move normally.