Infertility Overview

Nearly 90% of infertility cases are treatable with medical therapies such as drug treatment, surgical repair of reproductive organs and assisted reproductive techniques such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and Egg or Sperm Donation. Infertility is defined as either the inability of a couple to achieve conception after one year of unprotected intercourse or the inability to carry pregnancies to a live birth.

In the United States approximately 15%-20% of married couples will experience some degree of infertility. This means that one in six couples will need professional assistance. Traditionally, human infertility has been referred to as the "woman's problem" and ignoring the male contribution. More recent studies have revealed that in a population of infertile couples about 40% is due to male factors, 40% is due to female factors and the other 20% are due to female and male factors together.

To completely evaluate the reproductive potential of a couple, the physician must see the couple together to facilitate treatment. Infertility can be a multi-factor problem, where several conditions when presented alone are not so important but when added together could markedly influence the reproductive potential of a couple. Therefore, a systematic, simultaneous basic evaluation should be implemented on both spouses.