Quick Facts About Infertility

  • Infertility is NOT an inconvenience; it is a disease of the reproductive system that impairs the body's ability to perform the basic function of reproduction.
     
  • Infertility affects about 7.3 million women and their partners in the U.S. -- about 12% of the reproductive-age population (Source: National Survey of Family Growth, CDC 2002).
     
  • Infertility affects men and women equally.
     
  • Twenty-five percent of infertile couples have more than one factor that contributes to their infertility.
     
  • In approximately 40 percent of infertile couples, the male partner is either the sole cause or a contributing cause of infertility.
     
  • Irregular or abnormal ovulation accounts for approximately 25 percent of all female infertility problems.
     
  • Most infertility cases -- 85% to 90% -- are treated with conventional medical therapies such as medication or surgery.
     
  • While vital for some patients, in vitro fertilization and similar treatments account for less than 3% of infertility services, and about (or approximately) seven hundredths of one percent (0.07%) of U.S. health care costs.
     
  • Twelve percent of all infertility cases are a result of the woman either weighing too little or too much.
     
  • It is possible for women with body weight disorders to reverse their infertility by attaining and maintaining a healthy weight.
     
  • Men and Women who smoke have decreased fertility.
     
  • The risk of miscarriage is higher for pregnant women who smoke.
     
  • Up to 13 percent of female infertility is caused by cigarette smoking.
     
  • Chlamydia causes about 4 to 5 million infections annually in the United States. If left untreated, chlamydia can cause infertility.
     
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