Infertility

Infertility is a disease characterized by the failure to establish a clinical pregnancy after 12 months of regular and unprotected sexual intercourse. It is estimated to affect between 8% and 12% of reproductive-aged couples worldwide and, since reproduction represents a biological and psychological requirement, the presence of infertility is a disease which generates disability as an impairment of function. In infertile couples, a female factor is present in about 65% of cases. Recent definitions related to female infertility and its causes are reported in this chapter. The most frequent causes of infertility are advanced maternal age, tubal damages due to infections, polycystic ovary syndrome, and endometriosis. However, any cause that impairs reproductive organs anatomy, ovarian reserve, or hypothalamic–pituitary–ovarian axis can cause infertility. However, in 15–30% of patients, infertility remains unexplained. Couples (2–3%) are able to conceive but experience a recurrent pregnancy loss, a condition that impairs fecundity as well as chances of childbearing, although this condition is not properly included in the infertility definition. Access this chapter Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout Purchases are for personal use only Similar content being viewed by others

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Author information Authors and Affiliations Corresponding author Editor information Editors and Affiliations Rights and permissions Copyright information © 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG About this entry Cite this entry La Marca, A., Mastellari, E. (2020). Infertility. In: Petraglia, F., Fauser, B. (eds) Female Reproductive Dysfunction . Endocrinology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14782-2_11 Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14782-2_11 Published: Publisher Name: Springer, Cham Print ISBN: 978-3-030-14781-5 Online ISBN: 978-3-030-14782-2 eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine