Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive within one year of unprotected intercourse (for a woman over 35, this time period is 6 months), or the inability to carry a child to live birth.

According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, "Infertility affects about 6.1 million people in the U.S. -- about ten percent of the reproductive age population. Infertility affects men and women equally. Most infertility cases -- 85% to 90% -- are treated with conventional medical therapies such as medication or surgery. While vital for some patients, in vitro fertilization and similar treatments account for less than 5% of infertility services..." (From the ASRM's "Frequently Asked Questions About Infertility", Copyright © 1998.)

According to July 8, 1998 article compiled from Fertility and Sterility, infertility rates among American women are expected to rise over the next few decades. "The projection contradicts previous reports, which predicted a decline in infertility rates as the baby boomer generation ages beyond the reproductive years. Between 5 million and 6.3 million US women may be infertile in the year 2000, according to Washington, DC-based researchers, and this number could be as high as 7.7 million women in 2025." 

Fertility related terms, abbreviations, and acronyms that are frequently used on the internet are listed at INCIID's Glossary.

Infertility Myths and Fact from RESOLVE.