Infertility can be a shock and heart wrenching to some couples trying to conceive. Often, fertility is not something many people dwell on, until they are attempting to have a child. Infertility can begin to be diagnosed if an older couple has had unprotected sex for a year and have not conceived. If the couple is younger, infertility can be diagnosed earlier since the conception rate is higher for younger people.

Roughly, 1/3 of infertility is caused by male factors, about 1/3 is attributed to female issues and for the remaining 1/3, it can be caused by a combination of problems, including some cases that are just unexplainable. Most cases of infertility can be treated with drug therapies or operating to repair reproductive organs.

The two most common causes of male infertility are azoospermia (no production of sperm cells) and oligospermia (very few cells are produced). Sometimes, sperm cells can be deformed or they will die before ovulation can occur. Rarely, male infertility may be caused by some genetic disease like cystic fibrosis.

Most female infertility is caused by a problem with ovulation. Other causes can include blocked fallopian tubes, or abnormalities in the makeup of the uterus which may lead to miscarriages.

One of the most common treatments for infertility is in vitro fertilization (IVF). This is used if a woman has blocked fallopian tubes or if a man has a low sperm count. In this procedure, a woman's eggs are removed from her ovary and mixed with sperm in a Petri dish. This mixture stays in the Petri dish for about 40 hours and then it is examined to see if fertilization has occurred. If so, the fertilized eggs, or embryos, are placed directly into the woman's uterus. You often hear about in vitro fertilization, but it really only occurs in less than 5% of fertility treatments in the US. In addition, it is fairly expensive. The average for one cycle of in vitro fertilization is around $12,400. However, it does have a fairly good success rate. In 2002, about 1 out of every 100 babies born in the US was conceived using IVF.

Another way to treat infertility is artificial insemination or intrauterine insemination. Artificial insemination is a procedure where sperm is injected directly into the woman's uterus when she is ovulating. A man provides a sample of semen and it is then prepared to be inserted into the uterus. A catheter is used to place the semen directly into the uterus, bypassing the cervix. Drugs may be used to stimulate a woman's ovulation cycle and increase the likelihood of fertilization. Artificial insemination is less complicated than in vitro fertilization and as a result, will cost less.

There are many more ways to treat infertility and they all depend on the couple's situation. There are surgical options, drug treatments and even having another woman carry your baby to term if you are unable to do so. As science advances, the options and the success rate will increase.