infertility

In medicine, inability to reproduce. In women, this may be due to blockage in the Fallopian tubes, failure of ovulation, a deficiency in sex hormones, or general ill health. In men, impotence, an insufficient number of sperm or abnormal sperm may be the cause of infertility. Clinical investigation will reveal the cause of the infertility in about 75% of couples and assisted conception may then be appropriate.

Certain bacterial infections can cause loss of mobility in sperm and therefore lead to infertility in men. Hungarian biologists estimated in 1998 that around 60% of men may have anaerobic bacteria in their reproductive systems often at levels too low to present symptoms, so treatment with broad spectrum antibiotics may help some men with infertility problems.

According to a US Center for Disease Control and Prevention survey in 1997, only 1 in 5 cases of fertility treatment in the USA results in successful pregnancy. Approximately 15% of US women undergo some form of fertility treatment, mostly IVF.