Dr. Roger Lobo: Hi! I am Dr. Roger Lobo for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and today we are talking about infertility. When we talk about fertility, we mean the ability to have children. Infertility is the inability to conceive after one year of unprotected intercourse or after 6 months when the women is over 35. Unfortunately, infertility is fairly common. It affects a little more than 7 million women and their partners in the U.

S. About 12% of the reproductive age of population, but infertility is not just a woman's problem. But male factor is solely responsible for infertility, in about 20% of couples and contributes in another 30% to 40%. Unexplained infertility, when no cost can be determined affects about 20% of couples. Getting pregnant requires many factors, working together in both the man and the women. Timing is critical and there must be a healthy egg and sperm, an open passage way to transfer the fertilized egg, and implantation of a healthy embryo in to the uterus. When all these work properly, conception is successful about 20 to 25% of the time. In this series, we will discuss causes of female and male infertility, how to find out if you or your partner are infertile. Basic and Advance treatment, available for infertility, and lastly, how to cope with this very emotional process?

Before we begin the series, let me you a little bit about myself, I am the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, also know as ASRM. I am an Obstetrician-Gynecologist with additional education training and I am certified in the sub specialty of Reproductive endocrinology and infertility. I am a professor of OB/GYN at Columbia University in New York. ASRM is a multidisciplinary organization dedicated to the advancement of the art, science, and practice of reproductive medicine. To learn more, check out our other videos on infertility including the causes and treatments of infertility.