Fertility issues are physiological or psychological barriers to conception or a carrying a fetus to term.

Causes of female infertility

Some common causes of female infertility are:

• Age - by age 35 a woman's chance of conceiving has dropped 10% from a 20 year old. by the age of 40 it's 40% less and by 45 years of age it's about 85% less. Also the rate of miscarriage increases with age.
• Disorders of ovulation - conditions, usually hormonal, disrupt normal ovulatory patterns and therefore release of eggs from ovaries.
• Endometriosis - pieces of uterine lining in abnormal locations such as the fallopian tubes and ovaries.
• Blocked Fallopian tubes - blockage due to infection perhaps prevent sperm from reaching an egg.

Causes of male infertility

Some common causes of male infertility are:

• Low sperm count or non production of sperm
• Poor sperm quality - low motility (movement) or poor morphology (shape) so that sperm can't get into egg
• Sperm obstruction - the tubes (such as the Vas deferens) carrying sperm are blocked or missing entirely.
• Erectile dysfunction