In plain words
Infertility is the medical term for not getting pregnant after trying for a set time. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine defines it as no pregnancy after 12 months of regular sex without birth control. For people 35 and older, the time is 6 months. Infertility also applies when a person needs medical treatment to get pregnant, whatever their relationship status. It is a condition of a couple or a person, not a failing of either. It is common, and it can involve male factors, female factors, or both, or no clear cause. Infertility is not the same as or a high-risk pregnancy. Evaluation often includes testing of both partners. Clinical guidance commonly treats one year of trying, or six months at 35 or older, as the point to seek evaluation.
The deeper version
The ASRM Practice Committee's 2023 revision of its definitions defines infertility as failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months of regular unprotected intercourse, or after 6 months in women aged 35 and older, or the need for medical intervention to achieve pregnancy regardless of relationship status. Causes include ovulatory disorders, tubal factor, male factor, endometriosis, and . Evaluation is staged, and many couples are diagnosed only after testing of both partners. The threshold for early evaluation in women over 35 and the value of routine testing before 12 months remain contested.
Where it comes up
- Trying to conceive: how long is normal, when to ask for helpBefore Pregnancy
- Infertility and the long roadLoss and Complications
- Your partner's health before conceptionBefore Pregnancy
What mothers here say about infertility
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Sources
- Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine — Definitions of infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss, 2023 revision. Fertility and Sterility