What is infertility?Most experts define infertility as not being able to get pregnant after at least one year of trying. Women who are able to get pregnant but then have repeat miscarriages are also said to be infertile. Pregnancy is the result of a complex chain of events. In order to get pregnant:
Infertility can result from problems that interfere with any of these steps. About 12 percent of women (7.3 million) in the United States aged 15-44 had difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a baby to term in 2002, according to the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Is infertility just a woman's problem?No, infertility is not always a woman's problem. In only about one-third of cases is infertility due to the woman (female factors). In another one third of cases, infertility is due to the man (male factors). The remaining cases are caused by a mixture of male and female factors or by unknown factors. Infertility in men is most often caused by:
Sometimes a man is born with the problems that affect his sperm. Other times problems start later in life due to illness or injury. For example, cystic fibrosis often causes infertility in men. What increases a man's risk of infertility?The number and quality of a man's sperm can be affected by his overall health and lifestyle. Some things that may reduce sperm number and/or quality include:
What causes infertility in women?Problems with ovulation account for most cases of infertility in women. Without ovulation, there are no eggs to be fertilized. Some signs that a woman is not ovulating normally include irregular or absent menstrual periods. Less common causes of fertility problems in women include:
What things increase a woman's risk of infertility?
Current Infertility News09/07/2010Smoking mothers link to infertility Mothers who smoke early in pregnancy may sow the seeds of infertility in their unborn sons by arresting the development of sperm cells new research suggests. Smoking mothers link to infertility 09/07/2010 Speaker: Ancient infertility sheds light on modern issues Citizens of ancient Greece and Rome worried about infertility just like we do, but instead of in vitro clinics they had oracles and doctors who prescribed fumigation of the womb with smoke. Speaker: Ancient infertility sheds light on modern issues 09/07/2010 Missing Link From Obesity To Infertility Found Obesity and infertility frequently go hand in hand. Now, researchers reporting on studies of mice in the September issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, might have figured out why that is, and the results come as something of a surprise."There was a sense that the reproductive dysfunction was due to insulin resistance," said Andrew Wolfe of Hopkins Children's. "What ... Missing Link From Obesity To Infertility Found 09/07/2010 Speaker: Ancient infertility sheds light on modern issues Citizens of ancient Greece and Rome worried about infertility just like we do, but instead of in vitro clinics they had oracles and doctors who prescribed fumigation of the womb with smoke. Speaker: Ancient infertility sheds light on modern issues 09/07/2010 Antioxidants For Infertility Antioxidants help boost fertility by improving fertilization rates. Learn the most antioxidant rich foods, herbs and teas to help improve your fertility. Antioxidants For Infertility 09/07/2010 Everything Infertility: Infertility 101 for the People of Boston It's simple: you want to have a baby. And it's not so simple: you want to have a baby. As with every monumental endeavor, the path to parenthood is uniquely unpredictable, but navigating through the obstacles is easier when you have the facts, and know your options. Everything Infertility: Infertility 101 for the People of Boston |
