Infertility
Overview
Infertility is when a couple cannot get pregnant (conceive) despite having regular unprotected sex.
Causes
There are many possiblecauses of infertility, and fertility problems can affect either partner. But in a quarter of cases it is not possible to identify the cause. Common causes of infertility include: lack of regular ovulation (the monthly release of an egg)poor quality semenblocked or damaged fallopian tubesendometriosis– a condition where tissue, similar to the lining of the womb (the endometrium), grows in other places outside the womb There are also several factors that can affect fertility. These include: age– fertility declines with ageweight– being overweight or obese (having a BMI of 30 or over) reduces fertility; in women, being overweight or severely underweight can affect ovulationsexually transmitted infections (STIs)– severalSTIs, includingchlamydia, can affect fertilitysmoking– can affect fertility: smoking (including passive smoking) affects your chance of conceiving and can reduce semen quality; read more aboutquitting smokingalcohol– the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all to keep risks to your baby to a minimum. Drinking too much alcohol can also affect the quality of sperm (the chief medical officers for the UK recommend adults should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, which should be spread evenly over 3 days or more)environmental factors– exposure to certain pesticides, solvents and metals has been shown to affect fertility, particularly in menstress– can affect your relationship with your partner and cause aloss of sex drive; in severe cases, stress may also affect ovulation and sperm production