Causes of Infertility

Infertility affects men and women almost equally. In some cases, a couple's infertility reflects problems in both partners.

Decreased fertility in men is generally due to problems with sperm. A man may produce too few sperm, the sperm may have trouble moving, or a sizable proportion of the sperm may be abnormal.

Infertility problems in women are typically age-related. As a woman gets older, the eggs remaining in her body — which have been there since she was born — are more likely to develop abnormalities. Also, some conditions that cause infertility are more likely to affect women as they get older. For example, older women are more likely to have medical diseases such as endometriosis or uterine fibroids. And they are more likely to have had long-term exposure to chemicals or other environmental factors that can affect fertility.

Some types of problems can affect either sex at any age. Both men and women may have hormonal imbalances that prevent their reproductive systems from functioning normally. Both sexes can have blockages or malformations of their reproductive organs. And both are vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases, which can damage or block parts of their reproductive tracts.

Among infertile couples, infertility causes fall roughly into these categories:

male problems (35 percent)

problems with a woman's fallopian tubes or other reproductive organs (35 percent)

problems with ovulation (15 percent)

less common identifiable problems (5 percent)

unexplained infertility (10 percent)

20/1/04

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