Infertility

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Definition Symptoms Causes Risk factors When to seek medical advice

Tests and diagnosis Treatments and drugs Prevention Coping and support

Definition

If getting pregnant has been a challenge for you and your partner, you're not alone. Ten percent to 15 percent of couples in the United States are infertile. Infertility is defined as not being able to get pregnant despite having frequent, unprotected sex for at least a year.

If you've been trying to conceive for more than a year, there's a chance that something may be interfering with your efforts to have a child. Infertility may be due to a single cause in either you or your partner, or a combination of factors that may prevent a pregnancy from occurring or continuing.

What's normal?
Most pregnancies occur during the first six cycles of intercourse in the fertile phase. Overall, after 12 months of unprotected intercourse, approximately 85 percent of couples will become pregnant. Over the next 36 months, about 50 percent of the remaining couples will go on to conceive spontaneously.

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Symptoms