Infertility statistics

I normally get worried when people start spouting numbers to prove a point; it reminds me of those fishing stories where the guppy evolves into a shark as the story is retold.  Did you know that 85.43% of statistics are made up on the spot, and that smoking is the leading cause of statistics?  Exactly!  When it comes to infertility statistics, always check your sources!

Also, with infertility statistics there are all sorts of terms that you need to understand to get a good grip on the stats.  For example, what is the difference between fertility and fecundity?  Heck, what on earth is fecundity?  We’ll get back to that.  Well, if you’re looking at the problem of infertility then you probably already know that the average couple has only a 20% chance of getting pregnant each cycle, even if they have sex at the right time.  This chance gets less and less the older you get – it’s only about 10% chance per cycle if you (assuming you’re the woman), are over 35 (HFEA).  Despite this, 7-14% of couples are still not pregnant even after a year of regular unprotected intercourse according to various US and UK sources (HFEA & NWHIC).

Trying for a year without getting pregnant doesn’t necessarily mean that you will need to have fertility treatment though.  The HFEA estimates that of 100 couples trying to conceive naturally:

• 20 will conceive within one month
• 70 will conceive within six months
• 85 will conceive within a year
• 90 will conceive within 18 months
• 95 will conceive within two years

It’s a good idea to get yourself checked if you have been trying for a year, especially if you have any other signs of infertility  just to see if there’s anything you could do differently, but if you have time, then why not just keep trying?  All that extra practice never hurt anyone!  If you are getting a bit long in the tooth, which is your mid-thirties when it comes to childbearing, you should get help if you don’t get pregnant in six months.  Apparently, age is the most significant factor in a woman’s fertility; so it doesn’t make sense to wait too long to start trying, as far as it is up to you of course (UCSF).

Still wondering what the difference is between infertility and impaired fecundity?  If you are infertile then you are struggling to get pregnant; if you battle to get pregnant and you have problems keeping a pregnancy then you have impaired fecundity.  But remember to check how these words are used in any other information you find, because it can make a difference.

It is difficult to get accurate numbers on the success of the different fertility treatments available, because everyone measures success differently.  Rest assured that if you do need medical help to get pregnant your chances are pretty good, and according to the CDC, they are getting better all the time as the technology improves.

There are some things you can do to boost your fertility naturally  and avoid being another number yourself.  Some ideas: avoid caffeine while trying to get pregnant, have more sex, exercise, have even more sex, don’t get STDs (guys and girls) and don’t wear tight underwear (guys only).  You could also try having some more sex – practice makes perfect!

Sources:
ASRM – American Society of Reproductive Medicine, USA
CDC – Center for Disease Control and Prevention, USA
HFEA – The Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority, UK
NWHIC – National Women’s Health Information Center, USA
UCSF – University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center, USA