Is when a couple is sexually active for 1 year without contraceptives and unable to get pregnant.

Is more common than perceived

Up to 25% of couples experience infertility at some point

On average Men are at cause in 30-40% and women in 60%

A couple which believes they are having fertility difficulties need to be interviewed by a medical provider.

Questions regarding cigarettes, alcohol, other drugs, sexually transmitted diseases, psycho-sexual concerns, menstruation patterns, libido, family history and more are required.

A physical exam should be preformed for both partners

Lab tests are often essential

The women should chart basal body temperatures for several months – Oral temperature taken daily

The male partner will have their sperm analyzed

Ultrasound, X-ray, Laparoscopy, and biopsies may be preformed in some cases

Treatment depends largely on cause of infertility.

Weight gain may be necessary as would be treatment of underlying conditions such as a thyroid, diabetes, mental conditions, endometriosis and others

Induction of Ovulation
•     Bromocriptine
•     Clomiphene citrate– causes elevation of LH, gonadotropin, and other hormones or enzymes
•     Human menopausal gonadotropins (hMG)
•     Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)

Inadequate Transport of Sperm
•     Implant of sperm into uterus (insemination)

Artificial insemination
•     Frozen sperm implanted into uterus
•     Typically seen in men who on analysis have no measurable sperm

Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART)

Typically artificial means of overcoming infertility such as:
•     In vitro fertilization (IVF)
•     Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT)
•     Zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT)
•     Assisted Hatching
•     Egg donation
•     Tuboplasty
•     and others