Question 1

What is Infertility?

Accepted Answer

Infertility is the result of a disease (an interruption, cessation, or disorder of body functions, systems, or organs) of the male or female reproductive tract which prevents the conception of a child or the ability to carry a pregnancy to delivery. The duration of unprotected intercourse with failure to conceive should be about 12 months before an infertility evaluation is undertaken, unless medical history, age, or physical findings dictate earlier evaluation and treatment.

Question 2

What Causes Infertility?

Accepted Answer

Infertility is the inability to conceive after 12 months of unprotected intercourse. This means that a couple is not able to become pregnant after a year of trying. However, for women aged 35 and older, the inability to conceive after 6 months is generally considered infertility. No one can be blamed for infertility any more than anyone is to blame for diabetes or leukemia. In rough terms, about one-third of infertility cases can be attributed to male factors and about one-third to factors that affect women. For the remaining one-third of infertile couples, infertility is caused by a combination of problems in both partners or, in about 20 percent of cases, is unexplained.

Question 3

How is Infertility Diagnosed?

Accepted Answer

Couples are generally advised to seek medical help if they are unable to achieve pregnancy after a year of unprotected intercourse. The doctor will conduct a physical examination of both partners to determine their general state of health and to evaluate physical disorders that may be causing infertility. Usually, both partners are interviewed about their sexual habits in order to determine whether intercourse is taking place properly for conception. If no cause can be determined at this point, more specific tests may be recommended. For women, these include an analysis of body temperature and ovulation, x-ray of the fallopian tubes and uterus, and laparoscopy. For men, initial tests focus on semen analysis.

Question 4

How is Infertility treated?

Accepted Answer

Most infertility cases -- 85 to 90 percent -- are treated with conventional therapies, such as drug treatment or surgical repair of reproductive organs.

Question 5

What is In Vitro Fertilization?

Accepted Answer

In infertile couples where women have blocked or absent fallopian tubes, or where men have low sperm counts, in vitro fertilization (IVF) offers a chance at parenthood to couples who until recently would have had no hope of having a "biologically related" child. In IVF, eggs are surgically removed from the ovary and mixed with sperm outside the body in a Petri dish ("in vitro" is Latin for "in glass"). After about 40 hours, the eggs are examined to see if they have become fertilized by the sperm and are dividing into cells. These fertilized eggs (embryos) are then placed in the woman's uterus, thus bypassing the fallopian tubes.

Question 6

Is In Vitro Fertilization Expensive?

Accepted Answer

The average cost of an IVF cycle in the United States is $12,400. Like other extremely delicate medical procedures, IVF involves highly trained professionals with sophisticated laboratories and equipment, and the cycle may need to be repeated to be successful. While IVF and other assisted reproductive technologies are not inexpensive, they account for only three hundredths of one percent (0.03%) of U.S. health care costs.

Question 7

Does In Vitro Fertilization Work?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Since 1985, when we began counting, through 2017, 1,204,594 babies have been born in the United States as a result of reported Assisted Reproductive Technology procedures (IVF, GIFT, ZIFT, and combination procedures).

Question 8

Do Insurance Plan Cover Infertility Treatment?

Accepted Answer

The degree of services covered depends on where you live and the type of insurance plan you have.

Question 9

What impact does infertility have on psychological well-being?

Accepted Answer

Infertility often creates one of the most distressing life crises a couple has faced. The long-term inability to conceive a child can evoke significant feelings of loss. Coping with the multitude of medical decisions and the uncertainties that infertility brings can create great emotional upheaval for most couples. Many couples experience anxiety, depression, and feelings of being out of control or isolated. For more information, view the FAQs About the Psychological Component of Infertility at https://www.reproductivefacts.org.

Question 10

What if my eggs don't fertilize?

Accepted Answer

Most eggs will fertilize when they are placed in a culture dish with several thousand normal sperm. This process is called “in vitro fertilization” or “IVF.” When there are not enough normal functioning sperm for IVF, fertilization will usually occur after a single live sperm is injected into each egg, termed “intracytoplasmic sperm injection” or “ICSI.” On rare occasions, fertilization does not occur even with ICSI, presumably because of a problem inherent to either eggs or sperm. In these cases, the use of donor sperm or donor eggs will usually result in fertilization. Your fertility specialist and IVF laboratory personnel will help you determine which approach is most likely to result in egg fertilization.

Question 11

What are my options if I decide not to use my stored embryos?

Accepted Answer

If you have stored embryos that you have decided not to transfer into your uterus to attempt pregnancy, you have four options for their final disposition:  Anonymous embryo donation, Directed embryo donation, donate to research, thaw and discard.

Question 12

Why am I not responding to the drugs for ovarian stimulation?

Accepted Answer

A response to ovarian stimulation depends on a number of different factors, the most important include available eggs, appropriate hormone levels, proper administration of any medications and lifestyle/environmental factors.

Question 13

Should we have genetic testing?

Accepted Answer

Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) is a technique in which one or more cells is taken from an egg or embryo (fertilized egg) for testing to provide information about the genetic make-up of the rest of the cells in that embryo. Patients with many inherited familial diseases can have their embryos tested to determine its genetic make-up. Specifically, this would include patients with a history of single-gene disorders (such as cystic fibrosis or sickle cell anemia) and patients with a history of sex-linked disorders (such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Fragile X syndrome). In addition, even families in search of a bone marrow donor may be able to use PGT to bring a child into the world that can provide matching stem cells for an affected sibling. For some patients with recurrent pregnancy loss, severe male factor infertility, advanced reproductive age or recurrent IVF treatment failures, genetic screening may be used. Genetic screening is different than other types of genetic testing because the testing is looking for any abnormality instead of a specific disease, and as a result is associated with higher rates of false results. At this time, ASRM considers genetic screening for this indication experimental. If you are uncertain about genetic testing for you, speak with your physician about whether preimplantation genetic testing is right for you.

FAQs About Infertility

What is Infertility?

What Causes Infertility?

How is Infertility Diagnosed?

How is Infertility Treated?

What is In Vitro Fertilization?

Is In Vitro Fertilization Expensive?

Does In Vitro Fertilization Work?

Do Insurance Plans Cover Infertility Treatment?

What impact does infertility have on psychological well-being?

What if my eggs don’t fertilize?

What are my options if I decide not to use my stored embryos?

Why am I not responding to the drugs for ovarian stimulation?

Should we have genetic testing?

FAQ

ReproductiveFacts.org
is a patient education website of ASRM.

Always Consult Your Physician

FAQs About Infertility

FAQ

ReproductiveFacts.orgis a patient education website of ASRM.

Always Consult Your Physician

ReproductiveFacts.org
is a patient education website of ASRM.