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What Is Infertility?
From The National Women's Health Information Center
It is not uncommon to have trouble becoming pregnant or to experience infertility. Infertility is defined as not being able to become pregnant, despite trying for one year, in women under age 35, or after six months in women 35 and over. Women who are able to get pregnant but then have repeat miscarriages are also said to be infertile.
Pregnancy is the result of a complex chain of events. In order to get pregnant. A woman must release an egg from one of her ovaries (ovulation). The egg must travel through a fallopian tube toward her uterus. A man's sperm must join with (fertilize) the egg along the way. The fertilized egg must then become attached to the inside of the uterus. While this may seem simple, in fact many things can happen to prevent pregnancy.
Is Infertility A Common Problem?
About 12% of women (7.3 million) in the United States ages 15 to 44 had difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a baby to term in 2002, according to the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Is Infertility Just A Woman's Problem?
No, infertility is not always a woman's problem. In only about one-third of cases is infertility due to the woman (female factors). In another one third of cases, infertility is due to the man (male factors). The remaining cases are caused by a mixture of male and female factors or by unknown factors.
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