If you are experiencing infertility, you are not alone. Recent statistics indicate that about 2.1 million married couples experience infertility, and 6.1 million women between the ages of 15 to 44 have an impaired ability to have children. Studies have also found that 9.2 million women made use of infertility services at some time in their life. Because fertility issues are so prominent, it is important to understand infertility, its causes and risk factors. We examine them now.

What is infertility?
Infertility is defined as the inability to become pregnant after a year or more of sperm insemination or well-timed, unprotected vaginal intercourse. Infertility may be a temporary or a permanent condition; this depends on the available treatments, the cause, and the fertility of the partner at any particular point in time.

Infertility is often incorrectly considered "the woman's problem". To improve the couple's chances of conception a child together, both the man and the woman should be evaluated, and treated, if necessary, A complicated process, conception depends upon many factors:

• ability of the fertilized egg (embryo) to become implanted in the woman's uterus
• a good quality embryo
• production of healthy sperm by the man and healthy eggs by the woman
• sperm's ability to reach the egg
• sperm's ability to fertilize the egg when they meet
• unblocked fallopian tubes that allow the sperm to reach the egg

The definition of infertility includes:

1. Primary infertility - women who have never achieved pregnancy
2. Recurrent miscarriage- women may receive a diagnosis of infertility miscarriages if they experience two or more successive miscarriages
3. Secondary infertility - women who have achieved pregnancy and given birth, but are now having difficulty conceiving

What causes infertility in men and women?  And who is at risk? Continue reading for more information on risk factors and causes of infertility here.