A Review of the Gastrointestinal Causes of Infertility from the Perspective of Persian Medicine

Abstract

Infertility affects about 10-15% of couples in reproductive age, and puts a lot of economic burden on communities. Persian Medicine (PM) introduces perspectives on causes of infertility that can be useful in prevention and treatment of this common healthcare problem. Gastrointestinal problems are one of the causes of infertility based on PM literature. The purpose of this study was to collect evidence of gastrointestinal problems associated with infertility in conventional medicine, and ultimately compare the results with the viewpoints of PM. By reviewing literature on PM, we classified the digestive causes of infertility and then, by searching the keywords "infertility" and "gastrointestinal disorders" and symptoms such as, "dueodenal ulcer", "pepticulcer", "dyspepsia","fatty liver","maldigestion", "H. Pylori infection", "celiac", "inflammatory bowel disease", and "obesity" in databases of SCOPUS, PubMed, Web of Science. Based on the review of the literature on PM, gastrointestinal causes of infertility include digestive failure, liver weakness, and inappropriate eating habits. There is also a growing scientific evidence of this connection in modern medicine. Attention to the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders in patients with infertility can help to treat unknown causes of infertility.