And about 1 in 7 women go to see their doctors because of problems getting pregnant.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
2002 assisted reproductive technology (ART) report: 2002 Fertility Clinic Report by state: national summary.
Available at http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/ART2002/nation02.asp (accessed on 16 June 2008).

 

 

 

 

 

¹

More couples are seeking help than in the past because there are now so many treatments that can help them. And more couples now delay starting a family until later.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Mathews TJ, Hamilton BE.
Mean age of mother, 1970-2000. National Vital Statistics Reports Vol. 51, No. 1.
Available at http://www.cdc.gov (accessed on 16 June 2008).

 

 

 

 

 

² But if you're older, getting pregnant becomes more difficult. This is especially so for women over 35.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Healy DL, Trounson AO, Andersen AN.
Female infertility: causes and treatment.
Lancet. 1994; 343: 1539-1544.

 

 

 

 

 

³

If you're having problems and the woman is 35 or older, don't delay seeking help. The sooner you have treatment the better your chances of getting pregnant.

There have been many studies suggesting that men's sperm counts are lower than they were in the past and that this could be causing more infertility in men. Researchers aren't sure why sperm counts might be lower but some suspect this could be caused by pollution in the environment. But this is only a theory.

One thing that could be causing more infertility in women is the increase in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as

 

 

 

 

 

chlamydia
Chlamydia is an infection you can get by having sex without a condom. It can cause pain or discomfort and discharge from your sexual organs. If you're a woman, it can also cause infertility or a painful infection inside your body.

 

 

 

 

 

chlamydia. This can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), a major cause of illness in young women.

See Pelvic inflammatory disease to read about how you can prevent it.

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