Fertility Answers - Helping Build Families

What Causes Infertility?

What are the causes of infertility?

In women, maternal age and hormone issues that relate to egg quality and egg ovulation are often the cause of infertility. Structural issues with the reproductive system, such as blocked fallopian tubes, uterine fibroids or endometriosis, can also be a cause. In men, the cause of infertility is almost always related to sperm. Low sperm count, sperm morphology or problems with sperm mobility can be a reason fertilization is not happening.

Infertility is fairly common and can come from either partner

One in six couples has difficulty conceiving or carrying a pregnancy to term. With statistics like these, you are not alone in your difficult journey to a family. Infertility does not discriminate based on race or nationality. And it can affect both men and women. Generally, infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after one year of trying with unprotected sex for couples in which the female is under 35. If the female partner is over 35, this is reduced to six months. This is because age plays a much more significant role in the female partner than the male.

There can be many causes for infertility in women and men. And often, both partners can be contributing to the inability to conceive. In fact, in roughly 30% of cases the cause is attributed to the female, in 30% the cause is attributed to the male, in 30% the infertility cause is attributed to both partners and in 10% of cases the cause is unknown.

What are the common female and male infertility causes?

Female infertility causes can include many different factors.

  • Age is often a leading factor as egg quality and quantity are drastically reduced as a woman nears menopausal age.
  • Hormones play a significant role in fertility and when your hormones are not functioning properly, it can cause problems with ovulation. Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, PMOS, is one of the leading causes of hormone-related infertility.
  • Structural issues with the reproductive organs can also cause fertility.

For men, fertility causes are almost always related to sperm, although other structural issues with reproductive organs can also be a factor. Low sperm count

Testing helps determine the cause and develop a plan

Fertility testing for both partners is always the first step in determining infertility causes. Your Fertility Answers medical team works with you and your partner to develop a comprehensive treatment plan based on your specific diagnosis and needs. The goal is to solve the problem as quickly, safely and inexpensively as possible.

Once the cause of infertility has been determined, a plan can be customized for the patient to fit their unique situation. In fact, nearly 90% of infertility cases are treatable with medical therapies such as drug treatment or surgical repair of reproductive organs. In other cases, assisted reproductive techniques, such as in vitro fertilization IVF or intrauterine insemination IUI, may be necessary.

patient resources