Infertility
What is Infertility ?
Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive a pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. Infertility affects about 1 in 6 Australian couples of reproductive age and millions worldwide.
From fertilisation to delivery, pregnancy requires a number of steps in a woman’s body. Infertility can happen if there are problems with any of the steps below:
Ovulation - an egg must be released from the ovaries.
The egg is required to travel through the fallopian tubes toward the uterus (womb).
Fertilisation - the sperm needs to fertilise the egg.
Implantation - the fertilised egg must attach to the uterus (womb).
There are multiple causes of infertility involving male, female or a combination of both factors. There are two main categories of infertility - primary and secondary. Primary infertility is not being able to conceive the first pregnancy and secondary infertility being unable to fall pregnant again after one or more successful pregnancies.
In 40% of couples the cause of infertility is attributed to a sperm factor, in another 40% the cause is found within the female reproductive system, and a third will have a combination of male and female factors.
More than often, it is prejudicially assumed that issues with conceiving lies with the women. However, approximately 30% of fertility problems originate with the woman, and 30% with the man. A third of couples will have a combination of male and female factors contributing to their inability to conceive. In around 10% of couples, no cause can be found and this is called unexplained Infertility.
