Welcome to the Infertility Guide – Your Comprehensive Guide to Fertility ResourcesSo, what does it mean, how common is it and what are the typical causes? Infertility is commonly defined as the inability to achieve a pregnancy within 12 months of unprotected intercourse for couples where the woman is under 35 years of age and 6 months if the woman is 35 years or older. If you and/or your partner have been diagnosed with this condition, you are not alone as it is an extraordinarily common condition that is reported to affect approximately 6 million women and their partners in the United States. With respect to the typical causes of this condition, you may be surprised to learn that statistics show that: *40 percent is due to a male factor (e.g., impaired production, function or delivery of sperm or lifestyle and/or environmental issues); *40 percent is due to a female factor (e.g., fallopian tube damage or obstruction, endometriosis, ovulation and/or hormonal disorders, etc.); and *20 percent is due to male and female factors - in some cases, there is no explanation as to why a couple is not able to conceive naturally. While it is believed that the rate of occurrence has remained relatively stable over the years, there is an increase in the utilization of fertility services, which is due to greater availability of such services as well as the trend towards delayed childbearing while women advance their education or focus on their careers. Increased utilization of treatment is due, in part, to the fact that the negative stigma associated with this condition has lessened in recent years. The willingness of certain celebrities such as Bill and Guiliana Rancic and Kylie Minogue to openly share their experiences with the public has assisted in reducing negative connotations associated with seeking treatment. Over the course of our journey, my husband and I spent a significant amount of time reading about infertility and related topics (e.g., male infertility, IUI, IVF, adoption, etc). Much of the information that we found was not comprehensive and scattered across multiple sources, which was frustrating and delayed our pursuit of treatment and exploration of alternative options. As such, we have compiled everything that we have found here so that you do not experience the same frustration and delays. We hope you find our website to be helpful, and we wish the best on your journey!
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