Library of Frequently Asked Questions
Infertility
Infertility is the inability of a couple to conceive a child after a year of unprotected intercourse. According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) (formerly the American Fertility Society), infertility affects four and a half million couples of child-bearing age in this country. Approximately ten to twenty-five percent of married couples will experience some degree of infertility. Fortunately, more than fifty percent of these couples are successful in achieving a pregnancy following treatment. Twenty-five to forty percent of cases of infertility are male-related and forty to fifty percent are female related. Ten to fifteen percent of couples have infertility for which no cause can be found. Basic causes of female infertility are problems with ovulation, the fallopian tubes, and the cervix. Male problems include low sperm count or weak sperm.
Treatments for infertility include reconstructive surgery, laser laparoscopy (lap-ah-ross-copy), induction of ovulation, and artificial insemination.
Advanced reproductive techniques are used when other methods have failed. They include in vitro (vee-troe) fertilization, embryo transfer, and gamete (gaah-meet) intrafallopian (in-trah-fal-low-pee- an) transfer or GIFT. These procedures are not suitable for every couple, but have achieved increased success in recent years.
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