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Infertility: Pre-pregnancy Health and Infertility Resources


Definition of infertility 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has defined infertility as “not being
able to get pregnant after one year of trying; or, six months if a woman is 35 years of age or older.”

Infertility is a common problem. About 10% of women (6.1 million) in the United States ages
15–44 years have difficulty getting pregnant or staying pregnant.1

Infertility Videos

Aetna and the CDC worked together to create this series of infertility and healthy pregnancy videos. Watch them to learn how you can prepare for pregnancy and have a healthy pregnancy through assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments.

Welcome from Aetna: Listen to a description about each video Windows Media

Pre-pregnancy health: Learn what you can do before you get pregnant to improve your health and the health of your baby. Windows Media

ART clinic reviews: In vitro fertilization (IVF) is an option for treating infertility. Learn how you can compare the success rates of different clinics to find one that is right for you. Windows Media

How to reduce multiple births: Learn about elective single embryo transfer (eSET) and other ways to reduce the chances of having multiple births during infertility treatments. Windows Media

Causes of infertility

Medical experts don't know the exact causes of infertility. But both men and women can have problems that affect a couple's chances of getting pregnant.

Men

  • Enlarged veins in a man’s testicles. This can affect the number and shape of sperm
  • Previous injury or damage to the reproductive organs
  • Too few sperm or no sperm 
  • Aging
  • Medical procedures and treatments (such as chemotherapy)
  • Genetic factors
  • Medications
  • Lifestyle factors such as:
    • Drug and alcohol use
    • Smoking

Women

  • Changes in ovulation, or lack of ovulation (the release of an egg from the ovary)
  • Physical changes or damage to the uterus, ovaries or fallopian tubes
  • Changes in or lack of eggs
  • Aging
  • Genetic factors
  • Medications that can affect ovulation or cause hormone changes
  • Lifestyle factors such as: 
    • Diet
    • Stress
    • Weight
    • Smoking
    • Drug and alcohol use

Treatment options for infertility

Infertility can be treated with:

  • Medicines to help with ovulation problems
  • Surgery
  • Artificial insemination (A man’s sperm is put directly into a woman’s uterus by a doctor or medical professional.)
  • Assisted reproductive technology or ART (ART works by removing eggs from a woman’s body. The eggs are mixed with sperm in a laboratory [lab] to make embryos. The embryos are then put back in the woman’s body.)

There are different types of ART. One type of ART is in vitro fertilization (IVF). A woman’s eggs are taken out of her body and then fertilized (combined with sperm) in a lab. After 3 to 5 days, the eggs are implanted into the woman’s uterus. Eggs or sperm from another person (donor) may also be used if the woman or man has a problem with their own eggs or sperm.

Putting more than one fertilized egg back into a woman’s uterus can lead to multiple births -- twins, triplets or more. Being pregnant with more than one baby may cause health problems to the mother and her babies. One way to help avoid multiple births is with a procedure called elective single embryo transfer (eSET). Only one embryo is put back into the woman’s uterus. This approach can increase the chance of a healthy baby and mother, if pregnancy occurs.

Questions to ask your Doctor

Finding the right doctor and course of treatment can be hard. But, asking the right questions can help you make an informed decision about your care. Here are some questions to ask a doctor before you get started.

1Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Reproductive Health.http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/Infertility/index.htm. Accessed June 24, 2010.

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