Infertility is the inability to conceive a child despite unprotected, regular sexual intercourse for one year. Approximately 15-20 % of married couples have infertility.
Pregnancy is the result of a process involving several sequential steps. To achieve pregnancy:
The woman must ovulate as a result of the regular functioning of her ovaries.
The man’s sperm must fuse with the egg cell in the tubes (fertilisation).
The fertilised egg (embryo) must travel through the tubes to the uterus.
The embryo must implant in the uterus (implantation).
Infertility can be caused by a problem with one or more of these steps. The causes of infertility are analysed in 3 main groups:
1-Female-related causes
2-Male-related causes
3-Unexplained infertility: This describes the cases where the cause cannot be revealed by current research methods.
Today, the evaluation of infertile couples requires a team work. This team should include a gynaecologist and obstetrician competent in infertility, an urologist experienced in andrology, an embryologist and a geneticist.
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