Infertility

Infertility is the inability to become pregnant after a year of trying to conceive; it also refers to the problem of repeated miscarriages.

It is much more common than most people believe - roughly 1 in 6 couples in the Western world are infertile. Many fertility specialists believe that infertility is on the rise, and some predict that as many as 1 in 3 couples will be infertile by 2020. This increase in infertility is due to many causes, including delayed parenthood, the increased prevalence of obesity and STDs, and general changes in lifestyle, food, environment etc.

It is very important to distinguish between infertility and sterility. Unlike infertile couples, couples who are sterile are unable to conceive without medical intervention (using medication such as clomid or procedures like IVF or ovulation induction).

In most cases, couples who are infertile are still able to conceive naturally – carefully timing intercourse so that it occurs when you are most fertile will dramatically increase your chances of getting pregnant. Using a fertility monitor can also significantly increase your chances of conception.

Please note that different patients have different levels of fertility, so it is impossible to make generalisations on success rate. However a recent study has indicated that 6 months on the DuoFertility programe yielded similar results as a cycle of IVF.click here to read more...