Infertility

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Men
• Women
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Infertility means not being able to become pregnant after a year of trying. If a woman can get pregnant but keeps having miscarriages or stillbirths, that's also called infertility.

Infertility is fairly common. After one year of having unprotected sex, about 15% of couples are unable to get pregnant. About a third of the time, infertility can be traced to the woman. In another third of cases, it is because of the man. The rest of the time, it is because of both partners or no cause can be found.

There are treatments that are specifically for men or for women. Some involve both partners. Drugs, assisted reproductive technology, and surgery are common treatments. Happily, many couples treated for infertility go on to have babies.

NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Start Here

• Defining Infertility (American Society for Reproductive Medicine) - PDF
• Infertility (American Academy of Family Physicians)
• Infertility (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Infertility and Fertility (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
• Infertility: Frequently Asked Questions (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Optimizing Natural Fertility (American Society for Reproductive Medicine)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Evaluating Infertility (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
• How Is Infertility Diagnosed? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
• Prerequisite Testing for Infertility Treatment (Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology)

Treatments and Therapies

• Assisted Reproductive Technology: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Treating Infertility (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
• What Infertility Treatments Are Available? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Living With

• Foods that Can Affect Fertility (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
• Infertility Counseling and Support: When and Where to Find It (American Society for Reproductive Medicine)
• Psychological Component of Infertility (American Society for Reproductive Medicine)
• Stress and Infertility (American Society for Reproductive Medicine) - PDF

Related Issues

• Diethylstilbestrol (DES) Exposure and Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Fertility Drugs and the Risk of Multiple Births (American Society for Reproductive Medicine)
• Having Kids Later in Life: Healthy Pregnancies as You Age (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
• Reproductive Aging in Women (American Society for Reproductive Medicine) - PDF
• Sexual Dysfunction and Infertility (American Society for Reproductive Medicine)
• Weight and Fertility (American Society for Reproductive Medicine)
• What Is Fertility Preservation? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Genetics

• Androgen insensitivity syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Videos and Tutorials

• Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Understanding Infertility -- The Basics (American Society for Reproductive Medicine)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Artificial Insemination (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Fertility (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Fertilization in Vitro (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Infertility (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Conventional in vitro fertilization enhances preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy outcomes...
• Article: Evaluating a new scale for infertility psychological distress: psychometric evidence from...
• Article: Coping strategies of Ghanaian couples after unsuccessful infertility treatment: An exploratory...
• Infertility -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health Also in Spanish
• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Also in Spanish
• How to Find Find an Ob-Gyn (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)

Men

• Male Infertility: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Women

• Female Infertility: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Infertility (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish