What are the risk factors for anovulation?

What are the risk factors for anovulation?

Risk factors for having anovulation can include:

• Having polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): PCOS is a common condition that causes 70% of anovulation cases. PCOS causes your body to make too many androgens, which cause the follicles in your ovaries to remain small instead of maturing and growing as they should to prepare for ovulation.
• Having obesity: Having obesity can cause your body to make too many androgens, which affects your ovaries’ ability to produce mature follicles.
• Having a low body weight and/or doing long-term excessive exercise: A very low body mass index (BMI) or participating in routine intense physical exercise can affect your pituitary gland, which could cause it to not produce enough luteinizing hormone and/or follicle-stimulating hormone. These hormones are needed to ovulate regularly.
• Experiencing excessive stress: Experiencing excessive stress can cause imbalances in your body’s gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which are all needed for ovulation.
• Having just started getting periods or having your last periods: During both of these transitional times, an imbalance in your body’s hormones can cause anovulation.