Female Infertility

Female sterility (synonyms: Infertility; Sterility; Infertility (female); ICD-10 N97.-: Female sterility) is when conception (conception) does not occur within one year despite regular and unprotected sexual intercourse.

Sterility is divided into:

The causes of infertility are diverse in both men and women. In each case, the cause of infertility is 39% in the woman alone, and in another 26% in both the man and the woman. In 15% of all couples, the cause of infertility remains unexplained. Therefore, infertility treatment should always be a couple’s therapy.

Frequency peak: The highest natural fertility (fertility) of the woman is between the 15th and 25th year of life and decreases continuously thereafter. With the onset of menopause (woman’s menopause), natural fertility ends. Men’s natural fertility begins to decline slowly from the age of 40 – but in individual cases it can persist into old age.

12.5% of women and 10.1% of men have experienced an unfulfilled desire to have children during their lifetime. In the age group of 35 to 44 year old women, the percentage was 17.7%.

The prevalence (disease incidence) is 15-20% of all couples in Western industrialized countries. Worldwide, the median prevalence rate for infertility is 9%. The lifetime prevalence (disease incidence over a lifetime) is reported to be 4%.

Course and prognosis: The success of infertility treatment depends strongly on the individual conditions of the couple. Influencing factors are, among others, the age of the woman as well as the psychological condition of the couple. If the cause of infertility cannot be eliminated, there is the possibility of in vitro fertilization (IVF; method of artificial insemination).

Comorbidities (concomitant diseases): female infertility, especially when it occurs together with follicle maturation disorders (egg maturation disorders) and tubal occlusion (fallopian tube occlusion), is associated (linked) with a 1.2-fold risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.