trying for a while

Just how long you’re willing to try to get pregnant before seeking help is a personal choice. You may be content to try for a year; others may start getting anxious and frustrated after six months. But it’s important to look ahead and consider the possibility that you or your partner may have a fertility problem. If either of you has an underlying medical issue that affects fertility, it’s prudent to find out earlier rather than later, when you still have plenty of time and energy to confront that challenging part of your journey.

Admitting that you or your partner may have a problem with fertility isn’t easy – it can take a lot of courage. With so many unknowns about infertility and treatment, you may be overwhelmed by countless questions, worries and fears. But fertility journey™ helps shed light on the daunting issue of infertility, starting with the infertility facts that every couple should know.

Infertility is a medical condition that results when you, your partner or both of you have a physical condition that interferes with the reproductive process. A couple is considered infertile if they’ve actively been trying to get pregnant for 12 months with no success or, if the woman is 35 years or older, for six months. And it isn’t uncommon – almost one in eight couples in the United States is faced with infertility.¹

Female infertility accounts for approximately one-third of cases.² There are many conditions that may affect your fertility, from hormonal imbalances and physical abnormalities to illness and obesity. You may be surprised to learn that infertility due to male factors accounts for another one-third of cases.² Common causes of male infertility include hormonal problems, complications with reproductive organs, illness and infection. The remaining one-third of infertility cases are caused by a mix of male and female factors, or by unknown factors.²

You may experience physical symptoms associated with infertility, but not necessarily. As unpleasant as these symptoms may be, they can alert you to visit your healthcare provider and can provide clues about the cause of your infertility, speeding up the process of testing and diagnosis.

Regardless of how long you’ve been trying to get pregnant, if you have concerns or either of you has symptoms associated with infertility, it’s never too early to seek help for infertility from your healthcare provider. This step can be one of the hardest you’ll take along your fertility journey, but also one of the most important. With the inevitable effects of age on fertility, the earlier you seek help the better your chances of realizing your dream of having a child.