By Our Correspondents
Fertility problems and infertility may be more
common than you think. You may not personally know couples that are having
difficulty conceiving. This is probably because even though the couples are
experiencing fertility issues, they want to keep their struggle private. But,
you often hear of celebrity couples struggling with fertility issues. So how
common is infertility?
Fertility problems and infertility may be more
common than you think. A recent study shows that 11.5 per cent to 15.7 per cent
of Canadian couples have infertility. That’s almost one in six couples. So you
see, chances are that you do personally know someone affected by infertility.
What is infertility?
In general, the definition of infertility is being
unable to conceive after a year of regular, unprotected intercourse if a woman
is under age 35, or six months if
a woman is 35 or older.
But there have often been variations in how
infertility is defined when researchers look at how many couples are affected.
Infertility is generally defined as when a woman of reproductive age is unable
to become pregnant while not using any form of birth control. Some studies will
look only at lack of birth control while others will also consider whether the
couple has regular, unprotected intercourse. Studies will often look at current
infertility ( that is if you are having difficulty conceiving now) versus
lifetime infertility ( that is if you have ever had difficulty conceiving).
How has the infertility rate changed over the
years?
No matter how it’s defined, though, it seems that
the overall number of people facing fertility problems has increased over the
years. In 1984, the estimated percentage of couples with fertility problems was
5.4 per cent. In 1992, this number increased to 8.5 per cent. And today, the
estimated prevalence (total number of couples with infertility) is up to 15.7
per cent.
Among couples with a female partner aged 40 to 44
years old, the infertility rate is 14.3 per cent to 20.7 per cent. Almost 30
years ago, in 1984, that number was only 4.6 per cent.
And although it is expected that as a woman’s age
increases the rate of infertility increases, the trend of rising infertility
rates is not exclusive to older women. In 1984, the infertility rate of couples
with a female partner aged 18 to 29 years was 4.9 per cent. Now, the
infertility rate in this age group is seven per cent to 13.7 per cent.
The prevalence of infertility in Nigeria is put at
between 20 and 25 percent among married couples, according to experts. However,
40 to 45 per cent of all consultations in gynaecological clinics are
infertility-related.
As growing incidence of infertility in the country
continue to stare victims of these plague in the face, Nigerians have been
advised that seeking early intervention and counselling would help tackle the
problem.
Why have infertility rates increased? In part, it
is related to the trend for women to have children later in life (when they are
less fertile). There are many factors that have contributed to this trend
including getting married at a later age (which delays when women attempt to
have children and a woman’s fertility decreases as she gets older, especially
her mid-30s), readily available birth control (which allows women to delay
pregnancy until they are ready, which often means when they are older), and
more women in the work force.
However, infertility has also increased in younger
age groups. Possible explanations for a general decrease in fertility include
the increasing rate of obesity and sexually transmitted infections, both of
which can harm fertility.
Other fertility risk factors may also contribute
to how common infertility is. Read more about some of the common reasons for
infertility.
