Patient Resources

Infertility Facts

Delve into critical insights with our detailed page on infertility, offering a comprehensive overview of key facts and statistics that shed light on this complex, often misunderstood medical issue.

Doctor holding patient's hair while talking about cancer and fertility

Female Infertility: Why Can’t I Get Pregnant?

Understand the factors influencing female fertility and uncover a spectrum of treatment options for those seeking to expand their family.

Symptoms of Female Infertility

Female infertility is defined as trying to conceive for at least a year (six months if you’re over 35) with no success. Below are common signs and symptoms that may mean you need help getting pregnant:

Women showing signs of period

Irregular, painful, or lack of a period

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Hormonal fluctuations

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Increased body weight

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Advanced age

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Pain during sex or lack of sex drive

About 11% of women of reproductive age in the U.S. have experienced fertility problems.

Women are only half as fertile once they reach their 30s. After 35, a woman’s chance of conception declines significantly.

Female infertility factors contribute to approximately 50% of all infertility cases.

Causes Of Female Infertility

We’ll take a closer look at common issues like Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), reduced egg quality, tubal blockage, and primary ovarian insufficiency. Our goal is to provide insights and solutions to help you understand and address these fertility challenges.

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  • A hormonal disorder that makes it difficult to get pregnant.
  • With PCOS, the ovaries may develop numerous small collections of fluid and, in turn, fail to regularly release eggs and interfere with the development of ovarian follicles.
  • The most common cause of female infertility is problems with ovulation. Ovulation problems may be brought on by one or more of the following:
    • Hormone imbalance, tumor or cyst, eating disorders, alcohol or drug use, excess weight, stress, brief/irregular menstrual cycles, thyroid disease, lifestyle and environmental factors
  • Poor egg quality, decreased egg quality, or failure for an egg to mature properly can play a part in infertility and drops significantly with age. Most notably, after 35.
Damaged fallopian tubes may be brought on by one or more of the following:

  • previous infections
  • polyps in the uterus
  • endometriosis
  • previous ectopic pregnancy
  • scar tissue or adhesions
  • Women with this condition have trouble getting pregnant, but it is not impossible. About 5-10% of women with POI become pregnant without the help of medical treatment.

Treatments for Female Infertility

Female treatment options will depend on the cause of the initial problem, the age of the woman, history of any previous pregnancies, the male factor, and how long infertility issues have been known. Below are some common treatment options when it comes to female infertility:

Hormone Medications

Oral medication that allows the female body to produce more of the hormones that cause the eggs to mature in their ovaries.

Gonadotropins or Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG)

  • Hormone injections that stimulate the eggs growth within the ovaries, leading to successful ovulation.
  • Injections occur during the early stages of menstruation, for 7 to 12 days. As the woman is being treated, a doctor will monitor the growth of the eggs through an ultrasound.

Letrozole

  • An oral pill to help decrease the amount of estrogen a woman is producing, which then will stimulate her ovaries for the release of eggs.
  • Oral medication is taken during the first stages of menstruation, for about 3 days.

Surgical Treatments

May be necessary when it comes to the following infertility causes:

Disease of the fallopian tubes

  • Surgery can repair or remove blockages

Ectopic pregnancy, which is when the pregnancy occurs outside of the uterus.

  • Surgery of the fallopian tube is done in an effort to help fix these tubal pregnancies.

Patches of endometriosis

  • Surgery is done to help remove these patches, doubling the chances of a pregnancy.
  • Surgery can also be done in an effort to remove scarring, polyps, or uterine fibroids.

Health Conditions

In addition to medication and surgical treatments for female infertility, treatments to help specific health conditions called assisted reproductive technologies (ART) are available. The most common treatments in this category include:

“One of the most common questions that I’m frequently asked is what can I do in order to increase my chances of getting pregnant, and I would say that depends on your general state of health at this point in time.”

— Dr. Eva Littman

Man with Infertility Joining Fertility Support Group

Male Infertility

Explore Causes and Solutions. Learn about the factors affecting male fertility and discover potential treatments.

Symptoms of Male Infertility

Aside from being unable to conceive a child, other signs and symptoms of male infertility include:

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Issues with erection, ejaculation, or sexual function

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Any pain discomfort, or swelling in the testicle area

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Prior history of testicular, prostate or sexual problems

Scalpel making incision

Previous groin, testicle, penis or scrotum surgery

9.4% of males in the U.S. are infertile.

For males between 41-45, fertility declines by up to 7% with every additional year of a man’s age.

Causes Of Male Infertility

Here are factors that contribute to fertility challenges in men, including medical, environmental, and health and lifestyle causes. Our aim is to help you understand and find solutions for these issues.

Male causes graph
  • Varicocele
    • Swelling of the veins that drains the testicle, reducing the quality of sperm
  • Infection
    • Inflammation of the epididymis or testicles, and some STDs (gonorrhea and HIV) can hinder sperm production, sperm health, or sperm motility
  • Hormonal imbalance
    • Low testosterone levels may reduce sperm production
  • Dificulties with sexual intercourse
    • Erectile dysfunction, premature or retrograde ejaculation, and painful intercourse
  • Heat Exposure
    • Increased temperature in the scrotum may reduce sperm count and function
    • “Heat is very dangerous to sperm, that is why the testicles hang outside of the body because your sperm does not need to be at actual body temperature. This can change the shape of the sperm or cause them to not move as efficiently, so keeping the testicles cool avoiding hot baths, not wearing tight underwear, not doing mountain biking or anything where the testicles are compressed for a long period of time.” (Dr. Littman, video transcript)
  • Drug, alcohol, and tobacco use
    • Regular use lowers sperm production and quality
  • Weight
    • Obesity can cause hormonal changes that reduce male fertility
    • “If you are technically overweight then the process of losing weight to a BMI of about 25 or less, but between 20 and 25 is most optimal for fertility.” (Dr. Littman, video transcript)

Treatments for Male Infertility

Treatment options for male infertility vary depending on the underlying causes, the man’s age, any history of previous pregnancies, the female partner’s health, and the duration of infertility issues. Here, we explore common approaches to address male infertility and restore reproductive health:

Hormone Medications and Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG)

  • A medication that prompts the pituitary gland to make the hormones that direct the testicles to produce more testosterone and more sperm.
  • HCG stimulates the testes to produce testosterone and sperm. And sometimes fertility drugs are used with ART treatment.

Surgical Treatments

Surgery for a varicocele

Lifestyle Changes

Lifestyle changes include:

Diet

  • Eat a healthy and well-balanced diet full of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
  • “I always encourage my male patients to eat a lot of broccoli, spinach, and asparagus which are all very high in folic acid. And then, to eat blueberries, raspberries, and pomegranates, all of these fruits are very high in antioxidants.” (Dr. Littman, video transcript)

Alcohol and drug use

  • Avoid cigarettes and any drugs that may affect sperm count or sexual function

Exercise

  • Exercise regularly to reduce risk of obesity, which can be associated with infertility