In a nutshell, infertility refers to the biological inability of a person to contribute to conception. Doctors generally diagnose fertility in the following scenarios:

1) A couple has not been able to conceive after a year of contraceptive-free intercourse if the female is under the age of 34;

2) A couple has not conceived after 6 months of contraceptive-free intercourse if the female is over the age of 35 (declining egg quality of females over the age of 35 account for the age-based discrepancy as when to seek medical intervention);

3) A woman who are able to get pregnant but consistently cannot take the pregnancy to term may also be deemed infertile.

Infertility can occur if there is an underlying problem preventing any of these four steps from occurring:

1) A woman’s body must release an egg from one of her ovaries (ovulate);

2) The egg must pass through the fallopian tube towards the uterus (womb);

3) A man sperm must fertilize the egg on the way; and

4) The fertilized egg must successfully implant to the side of the uterus.

Worldwide, it is estimated that one in seven couples have difficulty conceiving, independent of the extent of the country’s development or resources. Both sexes become less fertile as they get older, but a woman’s advancing age poses a greater hindrance to fertility. However, despite the commonly held belief that infertility is a “woman’s problem,” statistics tell a different story; roughly one-third of fertility problems are caused by the woman’s problems, one-third by the man’s and the other cases are caused by a combination of problems from both parties or unknown origins.

Depending on the origins of the problem and overall health and age of the partners, doctors may elect to treat infertility with medication, surgery, artificial insemination or assisted reproductive technology.

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