Infertility is most simply defined as the
inability to achieve conception after a year of unprotected
intercourse or the inability to carry a pregnancy to a live birth.
Inability to conceive
Of all cases of infertility, 30% may be
attributed to the male and 50% to the female; the remaining 20% is
undetermined, usually with both female and male factors involved.
One of the principal causes of increasing rates
of infertility in developed countries is the willing postponement of
pregnancy due to life style and career choices.. Adverse effects of
increasing age on reproductive capacity include decreased conception
rates and increased pregnancy losses. The increasing incidence of
pelvic inflammatory disease is also thought to be a major cause.
Pelvic infections lead to scar formation around the ovaries and the
fallopian tubes, thereby impeding the transport of oocytes for
fertilization.
Male infertility may be due to developmental
defects, genitourinary infections resulting in abnormal semen
profiles.
In most cases the cause of the abnormality
remains undetermined. In approximately 10% of infertile couples, a
thorough evaluation reveals no clear cause, and unexplained
infertility is diagnosed. |
