At its most basic, being infertile is defined as a woman who has been trying to become pregnant after one year of trying and has not become pregnant. In general, it is recommended that women who are over the age of 35, and have not been able to become pregnant, seek assistance from a Reproductive Endocrinologist. The number of infertile women, those who suffer from infertility, or those who have opted to try IVF (Invitro Fertilization) have interesting numbers and statistics, some of them may surprise you.
Infertility: It’s Not Just a Female Thing
Did you know that nearly 3.3 million men are also infertile, but only 18% of them sought help. Conversely, 6.7 million women have received infertility services. Taken together, this means that approximately one out of every eight couples have trouble getting pregnant or staying pregnant. Many have utilized the assistance of infertility drugs, infertility treatments, or are currently undergoing IVF procedures of some kind.
Infertility Doesn’t Have to be Permanent
The most recent data from the World Health Organization as well as the American Society for Reproductive Health, states of the 44% of women that seek medical assistance, or proceed with IVF meds and treatments, nearly 65% of them give birth. Most of the infertility cases (almost 90%) are treated with the intervention and support of IVF medications.
IVF and Infertility Treatments Have Become More Affordable
As more and more of the population age before having children, infertility has become an emerging issue. This has allowed for competition in the marketplace and has, thankfully for the consumer, driven down the costs. At least fifteen states currently offer insurance mandates that cover some of the IVF treatments, and others require employers to offer it to their employees. Additionally, there are many reputable IVF medications online pharmacies that provide many of the namebrand IVF medications (for both men and women) at a significant discount.
Fertility Rates in the US
Good news! Because of the increased techniques and improved (and new) fertility medications on the market today, the infertility rates have been dropping. The rate has dropped at least 2% over the last fifteen years, which translates into nearly a million women or couples. Additionally, the research stated that over a longer period of time (from 1982-2010) those women who were over 35 had their infertility rates drop as well (from a whopping 44 percent to 27 percent).
What This Means for the Future of Fertility
The numbers continue to roll in, and what becomes apparent is that reproductive medicine is alive and well in the US. The numbers indicate that though couples are waiting longer to have children, the infertility medications have developed and kept pace with the demand of a changing population. New IVF techniques have also emerged and offer promising new results with higher successful implantations and live births. This means that couples who learn they are infertile need not think that their quest for a family should end there. In fact, seeing a specialist, being placed on an infertility medication regimen could be just the start.
