Infertility

Infertility is difficulty achieving pregnancy after regular unprotected sex or difficulty carrying a pregnancy to term. It can involve reproductive factors in either or both partners.

Ovulation: The release of an egg from an ovary during the menstrual cycle. Irregular or absent ovulation can prevent an egg from being available for fertilization.
Infertility workup: A clinical assessment of reproductive history and factors affecting conception. Testing commonly examines ovulation, reproductive anatomy, and semen quality.
Fecundability: The probability of achieving pregnancy during one menstrual cycle. It explains why conception often takes several cycles even without a diagnosed disorder.
Sterility: The inability to achieve conception, often used for an absolute or permanent loss of reproductive capacity. Infertility can describe reduced chances or prolonged difficulty without implying impossibility.
Spermatogenesis: The process by which sperm cells develop in the testes. Disruptions can reduce sperm production or produce sperm unable to fertilize an egg.
Semen analysis: A laboratory examination of semen volume and sperm concentration, movement, and form. It is a standard first assessment of male reproductive factors.
Time to pregnancy: The number of menstrual cycles or months required to achieve pregnancy. Clinical definitions use elapsed time, interpreted alongside age and medical history.
Subfertility: Reduced reproductive capacity that makes conception less likely or slower than usual. The term can emphasize diminished probability rather than inability to conceive.
Fallopian tube: A narrow passage connecting an ovary to the uterus, where fertilization often occurs. Blockage or damage can keep sperm and egg from meeting or impede embryo transport.
Hysterosalpingography: An X-ray procedure that uses contrast dye to examine the uterine cavity and fallopian tubes. It can reveal tubal blockage or abnormalities of the uterine cavity.

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