Infertility is defined as the inability to become pregnant after one year of unprotected intercourse in women under 35. Women aged 35 and older should seek care from a fertility specialist after 6 months of regular intercourse without conception. Infertility affects more than 10 percent of couples at some time during their reproductive lives. This means that one couple out of every ten will experience infertility, making it a relatively common condition.

While infertility was once considered a "female problem", we now know that up to half of all couples have a male infertility component. This makes thorough testing of the male a necessity before beginning any female treatments.

One misconception is that most infertile couples will require in vitro fertilization (IVF). Studies show that only 8 percent -15 percent of couples will eventually require IVF and most become pregnant using procedures such as intrauterine insemination (IUI).