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: • A woman must release an egg from one of her ovaries (ovulation). • The egg must go through a fallopian tube toward the uterus (womb). • A man’s sperm must join with (fertilize) the egg along the way. • The fertilized egg must attach to the inside of the uterus (implantation). Infertility can result from problems that interfere with any of these steps.
Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system that impairs one of the body’s most basic functions: the conception of children. Conception is a complicated process that depends upon many factors: on the production of healthy sperm by the man and healthy eggs by the woman; unblocked fallopian tubes that allow the sperm to reach the egg; the sperm’s ability to fertilize the egg when they meet; the ability of the fertilized egg (embryo) to become implanted in the woman’s uterus; and sufficient embryo quality.Finally, for the pregnancy to continue to full term, the embryo must be healthy and the woman’s hormonal environment adequate for its development. When just one of these factors is impaired, infertility can result.
Infertility is the inability to conceive after a year of unprotected intercourse in women under 35, or after six months in women over 35, or the inability to carry a pregnancy to term. Couples who have known barriers to fertility, such as endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, male factor infertility, irregular cycles, etc., do not need to sit out the traditional “waiting period” to seek expert care for infertility. See INCIID’s glossary for more terms and definitions.
Most experts describe infertility as the inability to conceive after at least one year of having regular, unprotected sex. In 2002, according to the Centers for Disease Control, about 7.3 million women in the United States from the ages of 15 to 44 had difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a baby to term.
