Understanding Infertility


	Understanding Infertility

The miracle of conception is a precisely timed biological event that depends upon a myriad of factors. Therefore it is not surprising that each year approximately 6.1 million couples trying to conceive experience infertility. Infertility is a disease or condition of the reproductive system resulting in the inability to conceive after one year of unprotected well-timed intercourse. Infertility also includes the inability to carry a pregnancy to the delivery of a live baby.

About one in six couples have trouble conceiving, but with the development of new fertility drugs and medical technologies, the outlook for most couples is very promising. Approximately 35% of the infertility cases can be contributed to male infertility, while physiological problems in the female account for another 35%, the remaining 30% of infertility cases stem from a combination of causes.

Because of the individual nature of a couple's inability to conceive and sustain a pregnancy, each couple should undergo testing to pinpoint the exact cause or causes that are making pregnancy difficult. This identification is made in nearly 85% of infertility cases, however even when the physiological cause is not identified, fertility therapy can be very effective. Therapy for infertility couples includes timed intercourse, husband/donor insemination, treatment with drugs that stimulate the growth and maturation of the egg cells coupled with the previous methods. Fertilization may then proceed naturally or in some cases in vitro (outside the body), using assisted reproductive technology (ART).

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