About 10% of couples in the United States are infertile. Infertility is a condition in which a woman has not been able to get pregnant after 6–12 months of having sex without using birth control. Before being treated for infertility, you and your partner must be evaluated by a doctor. This may help pinpoint the cause or causes of infertility. The type of treatment you receive depends on what may be causing the infertility.
For healthy, young couples having sex, the odds are about 20% that a woman will become pregnant during any one menstrual cycle. This figure starts to decrease in a woman’s early 30s and decreases even more after age 37 years. A man’s fertility also declines with age, but not as early. Many women and couples today choose to delay parenthood. Because they are older, they may have problems conceiving.
If you are not able to get pregnant after 12 months of unprotected sex, your doctor can evaluate you and your partner. If you are older than age 35 years or have certain medical problems, tests should be started earlier.
Infertility often can be treated. Lifestyle changes, medication, surgery, or assisted reproductive technologies may help.
For more information please visit ACOG.org.
Evaluation
Couples are generally advised to seek medical help if they are unable to achieve pregnancy after a year of unprotected intercourse. The doctor will conduct a physical examination of both partners to determine their general state of health and to evaluate physical disorders that may be causing infertility. Usually both partners are interviewed about their sexual habits in order to determine whether intercourse is taking place properly for conception.
If no cause can be determined at this point, more specific tests may be recommended. For women, these include an analysis of body temperature and ovulation, x-ray of the fallopian tubes and uterus, and laparoscopy. For men, initial tests focus on semen analysis.
Treatment
Most infertility cases — 85 to 90 percent — are treated with conventional therapies, such as drug treatment or surgical repair of reproductive organs.
For more information please visit ASRM.org.