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Infertility

Situs inversus and infertility with women.

05/04/2000

Question:

I have situs inversus. I have been told by some doctors that I will not be able to conceive a child naturally, while other doctors have told me that I will. What can you tell me? There is some information on men having problems with sterility and situs inversus, but I was wondering about the woman`s side of it.

Answer:

There has been a great interest in men with situs inversus and infertility because of an association with Kartagener`s Syndrome. In this syndrome small structures called cilia do not function normally. Cilia help clear bacteria from your throat and aid in sperm transport.

Situs inversus is not generally considered a cause of infertility in women unless Kartagener`s Syndrome is present. In theory, abnormal cilia in women could cause an egg not to travel through the fallopian tube. This would be very rare, however.

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Response by:

Arthur T Ollendorff, MD Arthur T Ollendorff, MD
Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
College of Medicine
University of Cincinnati