What is infertility? Infertility is a condition of your reproductive system that causes people to be unable to get pregnant (conceive). Infertility can affect anyone and has many causes. Getting pregnant involves several steps: Your brain must produce reproductive hormones that control ovarian function. An egg must mature in your ovary. Your ovary must release an egg (ovulation). Your fallopian t ...

Causes of male infertility Generally speaking, infertility in men is related to issues with the following: effective production of sperm sperm count, or the number of sperm shape of the sperm movement of the sperm, which includes both the wiggling motion of the sperm themselves and the transport of the sperm through the tubes of the male reproductive system There are a variety of risk factors, me ...

What is infertility? Healthcare providers consider a couple infertile if they try but fail to get pregnant within one year. When the woman is older than 35, the amount of time trying to conceive drops to six months for an infertility diagnosis. In women over 40, immediate evaluation is warranted. Infertility does not include miscarrying or being unable to carry a baby to childbirth. What causes i ...

If you've had regular, unprotected sex for more than a year without conceiving (or six months if you're older than 35), see your doctor. About 65 percent of couples that get treatment for a fertility problem are eventually able to have a successful pregnancy, according to Resolve, the national infertility association. The success rates below are based on averages gathered from large groups of pat ...

Polycystic ovarian syndrome: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a condition in which small follicles in the ovaries don't develop into the larger, mature follicles that release eggs. It's also characterized by hormone imbalances and unpredictable ovulation patterns. Possible symptoms: irregular periods, excessive hair growth, acne, and obesity. Possible solutions: Lifestyle modifications (lik ...

What age-related factors may be involved with infertility in females and males? Fertility naturally declines as females and males get older. For instance, a female is born with all the eggs she will ever have naturally. Researchers currently believe that women are born with 1 million to 2 million eggs and that this number decreases throughout the lifespan. The decrease in fertility accelerates ov ...

Treatment A fertilized egg can't develop normally outside the uterus. To prevent life-threatening complications, the ectopic tissue needs to be removed. Depending on your symptoms and when the ectopic pregnancy is discovered, this may be done using medication, laparoscopic surgery or abdominal surgery. Medication An early ectopic pregnancy without unstable bleeding is most often treated with a me ...

Neural tube defects are birth defects of the brain, spine, or spinal cord. They happen in the first month of pregnancy, often before a woman even knows that she is pregnant. The two most common neural tube defects are spina bifida and anencephaly. In spina bifida, the fetal spinal column doesn't close completely. There is usually nerve damage that causes at least some paralysis of the legs. In ane ...