Infertility
- Infertility Introduction
- Infertility Causes
- When to See a Fertility Specialist
- Diagnosis
- Infertility Treatment
- Outlook
- For More Information
- Web Links
- Synonyms and Keywords
- Authors and Editors
Infertility Introduction
Infertility is the inability of a couple to become pregnant (regardless of cause) after 1 year of unprotected sexual intercourse (using no birth control methods).
- Infertility affects about 6.1 million people in the United States, about 10% of men and women of reproductive age.
- Infertility affects men and women equally.
- Most infertility cases (85-90%) are treated with medication or surgery. Improvements in fertility treatment have made it possible for many women whose male partner is infertile to become pregnant. These new and advanced technologies include in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), and other similar procedures.
Next: Infertility Causes »
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Infertility
Home Pregnancy Test Overview
If you think you are pregnant, you may want to test yourself at home with a home pregnancy test. You can buy test kits at a drug store without a prescription. Home use kits measure a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in your urine. However, these tests are qualitative, the results are either positive or negative for pregnancy.
The most sensitive test of pregnancy is best performed by a laboratory using a sample of your blood. These tests not only detect hCG but also can indicate the amount (quantitative tests) of the hormone, which doubles every 2-3 days during the first several weeks of pregnancy. These more sensitive tests can tell how long you have been pregnant and even detect possible problems with the pregnancy. Your health care provider can perform this test.
Initially, many women prefer the privacy, convenience, and quick results from home test kits. Home pregnancy tests are not as accurate as blood ...
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Infertility »
The most commonly accepted definition of the term infertility is the lack of pregnancy (regardless of cause) after 1 year of unprotected intercourse.
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