n. a surgical operation carried out to restore patency to blocked Fallopian tubes; it involves the *division and removal of adhesions around the ovarian ends of the tubes.
n. inability in a woman to conceive or in a man to induce conception after regular unprotected sexual intercourse for two years. Female infertility may be due to failure to ovulate, to obstruction of the *Fallopian tubes, or to disease of the lining of the uterus (endometrium). Possible treatments (depending on the cause) include administration of drugs (such as *clomifene or *gonadorelin analogues), surgery (see salpingography; salpingostomy; salpingolysis) to restore patency of the Fallopian tubes, *gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT), and *in vitro fertilization. Causes of male infertility include decreased numbers or motility of spermatozoa (see oligospermia) and total absence of sperm (see azoospermia). See also andrology; sterility.... infertility
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