Some women have a hard time getting pregnant or staying pregnant. Infertility is diagnosed when a women tries to get pregnant for a year without success. Women are also considered infertile if they have repeated miscarriages.
A man’s fertility generally relies on the quantity and quality of his sperm. If the number of sperm a man ejaculates is low or if the sperm are of a poor quality, it will be difficult, and sometimes impossible, for him to cause a pregnancy.
When a couple has a problem achieving pregnancy, it’s estimated that about 1 out of 3 times it’s due to a problem with the man’s fertility 1 out of 3 times it’s due to a problem with the woman’s fertility 1 out of 3 times it’s due to a problem with both the woman’s and the man’s fertility, or a cause cannot be found for the problem.
Male infertility is usually caused by problems that affect either sperm production or sperm transport. Through medical testing, the doctor may be able to find the cause of the problem. About two-thirds of infertile men have a problem with making sperm in the testes. Either low numbers of sperm are made and/or the sperm that are made do not work properly.
There are many reasons a woman might experience infertility. These include
Not ovulating (releasing eggs)
Blocked fallopian tubes so sperm can’t meet the egg
Eggs are poor quality
Shape of the uterus makes it hard for a fertilized egg to implant
Pelvic inflammatory disease
Endometriosis
Polycystic ovary syndrome
Premature ovarian failure
Uterine fibroids
In some cases, there is no known reason for someone’s infertility. This is called unexplained infertility. This can be a very frustrating diagnosis. But even if you are diagnosed with unexplained infertility, you still have treatment options to consider.