Common Causes Infertility is defined as the inability to get pregnant after a year of unprotected intercourse. About 40 percent of the time, the diagnosis is due to female infertility; another 40 percent is due to male infertility; the remaining 20 percent is due to a combination of factors from both partners or is “unexplained” – meaning no cause can be found. Human reproduction is remarkably complicated. Several systems of the body must be in sync for the process to culminate in conception and pregnancy. It takes only one seemingly minor situation to disrupt the intricate series of events. |
Common Causes for Men and WomenMale OverviewFor a man to be fertile, his sperm cells must be healthy and be transported to their destination – the egg. Most cases of male infertility are due to sperm abnormalities, yet any of the following can play a role:
Female OverviewFor a woman to be fertile, her body must produce healthy egg cells that can be transported to a meeting place with sperm cells, and from there to a well-prepared uterus.
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