Infertility refers to the inability to conceive a child. It is a condition that can affect couples who want to start a family. Is infertility a common problem or a problem that affects only certain people?

So, you’ve been trying for a child but for some reason things just aren’t happening. Down the street lives a couple who just thinks about baby booties and they find themselves in the family way. Before you write off ever having a chance to have children, know a few facts about infertility.

1. Infertility is not just on the part of the woman. A woman’s reproductive system is thought to be the primary cause of infertility problems, but it can be the man. A child is created by the joining of an egg from the woman and a sperm from the man. At least 33 percent of the time, the issue is with the woman since she carries the baby, but men are the cause about 33 percent of the time as well.

2. Reproduction is not as clear cut as you might think. They teach you the basics in middle school in Health class. Once a month, an egg is released from a woman’s ovaries. The egg must travel from the ovary through the fallopian tubes to her uterus. As this is going on, the sperm is traveling to the uterus from the other end. A sperm has to travel at just the right time of the month to ever have a chance of meeting and fertilizing the egg. The eggs are insulated by a natural outer protective layer that keeps most sperm from entering. But, that lucky one will penetrate the egg and begin the fertilization process.

3. With all of the people in the United States, less than fifteen percent of women have a true problem of infertility. That is a small number compared to the entire population. The age group is females of childbearing ages 15-44 according to a 2002 health statistic reported by the CDC. That’s about 12 women out of every 100.

4. Your condition is not necessarily infertility. Unless you and your partner have been trying to get pregnant for at least one year, doctors do not consider the root cause to be infertility.

5. Some cases of infertility involve women who can get pregnant. The problem comes in as the pregnancy progresses. Conception results in repeated miscarriages early in the pregnancy. For whatever reason, a pregnancy doesn’t make it to full term.

6. Infertility can be rectified. After a year, visit a reproductive specialist to evaluate your situation and what, if anything, can be done.

There is no reason to lay blame with infertility. Many of the factors behind infertility deal with conditions you never knew that you had. Treating those conditions can increase your chances of getting pregnant.