The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) defines infertility as the inability to achieve pregnancy based on an individual’s medical or reproductive history, diagnostic testing, or age.
This includes those who need to use donor gametes for any reason, whether because they are single or part of a same-sex couple. For patients having regular intercourse, the infertility evaluation should begin after one year of unprotected intercourse in women under 35. Women aged 35 and older should seek care from a fertility specialist after six months of regular intercourse without conception. To schedule a consultation with one of our Reproductive Specialists, call us at 866-HRC-4IVF or click the button below:
… of couples are affected by infertility at some time during their reproductive lives. This means that one couple out of every six will experience infertility, making it a relatively common condition.
Frequently, a couple’s problems are related to the combination of several factors, such as: the production of healthy sperm by the male and healthy eggs by the female; and patent fallopian tubes for the sperm to reach and fertilize the egg and to allow for the embryo to travel to the uterus and attach. Several rather mild defects can combine to make reproduction inefficient or prevent it all together.
… of couples with infertility will eventually undergo IVF according to studies. Many become pregnant using a variety of procedures such as ovulation induction or IUI.
In many situations in which a couple is experiencing infertility, HRC fertility doctors can treat the problem with first-line fertility treatments such as ovulation induction or intrauterine insemination (IUI). IVF is often the treatment of choice for couples who are experiencing advanced reproductive age, tubal factor infertility, or severe male factor infertility requiring intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), a procedure in which one sperm is injected directly into the egg.
… of couples have a male infertility component. This makes thorough testing of the male a necessity before beginning any female treatments.
Semen analysis is the first step in evaluating the male factor for couples undergoing an infertility evaluation. It is important to evaluate the male so the female does not go through more invasive testing & unnecessary treatments. Men with an abnormal semen analysis should consult with a reproductive endocrinologist. Most men with an abnormal semen analysis can father children with appropriate treatment
