Infertility Statistics: How Common Are Fertility Problems?

If you are having difficulty getting pregnant, it is natural to feel very alone and even isolated. We understand that when you are having trouble conceiving, it seems like babies are everywhere and that everyone seems to be able to get pregnant but you.

Please know that while these feelings are very real and understandable, fertility issues are extremely common. In fact, it is estimated that more than 1 in 8 couples have trouble getting pregnant – meaning that about 6.7 million people have trouble conceiving every year in the US alone. A report in UCLA Health in 2020 puts this figure even higher, estimating that 15% of couples will have trouble conceiving.

In this article Austin, TX natural fertility doctor Dr. Ruthie Harper shares some statistics about infertility, that can help you put your situation in perspective and give you hope for finding the fertility solutions that can help you grow the family of your dreams.

Mother Nature’s Natural Fertility Rate

Because so many young people are avoiding pregnancy when they first become sexually active, a “mindset” can develop that pregnancy is something that happens almost “automatically” with intercourse. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

In reality, the natural fertility rate under the best of circumstances is only 20% for a healthy, fertile 30-year-old female. In other words, out of every 100 fertile 30-year-old women trying to conceive, only 20 will be successful in a given cycle – and the other 80 will have to keep trying.

Scientific Fertility Rates

While a 20% fertility rate sounds like a discouraging statistic, it simply means that persistence is often all that is needed – along with having intercourse at the right time under the right circumstances – in order to conceive. With odds of 20% it simply may take a healthy, fertile woman a year or longer to become pregnant.

And, for women who do not conceive with a year of trying, the good news is that up to 90% of infertility cases can be overcome through science! Further in many cases, the only “science” required is understanding and taking the steps necessary to ensure that the egg and sperm meet under optimal conditions for fertilization.

Natural “scientific” fertility methods can include charting ovulation using body temperature, as well as monitoring cervical fluid and other indicators of ovulation. Indeed, less than 3% of infertility patients need advanced treatments like IVF!

When Fertility Declines

According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, fertility begins to decrease for most females in their late 20s or early 30s. But thirty-five is the average age in women at which natural fertility begins to show a more marked and rapid decline. By the age of 40, a woman’s natural chance of pregnancy is less than 5% per cycle.

However, men’s fertility doesn’t typically start to reduce until the age of 40 to 45 years when sperm quality begins to decline. According to the CDC, couples in which the male partner is 40 years or older are more likely to have difficulty conceiving – but the sperm quality itself doesn’t typically become a problem for males until after age 60.

Male vs. Female Infertility

Our Austin area patients often ask us if it is more likely that their fertility issues are more likely to be due to the male or the female partner. The answer is that it’s about 50/50 … or more specifically 30/30/30.

On average, 30% of infertility cases can be attributed solely to the woman, while 30% of the time an inability to conceive is because of the man. And in about 30% of infertility cases, it is a combination of both partners.

If you’ve done the math that leaves 10% – and in 10% of fertility cases the cause is simply of unknown origin.

Race & Infertility Statistics

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women have the highest rates of fertility in the United States, followed by Hispanic Americans and then Black Americans – while Caucasian and Asian Americans have the lowest fertility rates.

Infertility & Mental Health

If you are suffering from fertility issues, it will come as no surprise to you that infertility can negatively affect a person’s mental well being. According to a report in Clinical Therapeutics in 2014, up to 60% of infertile patients reported psychiatric symptoms that included significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression than fertile people.

And, according to a study reported in BMC Women’s Health in 2004 almost 41% of infertile women suffer from some depression, and nearly 87% of infertile women experience anxiety.

 Top Austin Infertility Doctor

As you can see, infertility issues are more common than most people realize. But the great news is that with proper medical assistance and lifestyle changes most couples can achieve their dream of building a family – typically without resorting to extreme and expensive measures such as IVF!

Ruthie Harper MD, specializes in using integrative, holistic and natural fertility treatments to help women get pregnant. Dr. Harper helps women conceive naturally by balancing their bodies through lifestyle, mindfulness and stress reduction, and hormone rebalancing.

If you have tried to become pregnant without success, Dr. Harper opens her practice doors to you with compassion, and more than twenty years of natural fertility experience. Discover your personal path to total health, wellness and balance. Through the science of personalized integrative medicine she can help you become pregnant and achieve your dream of growing your family.

Infertility Doctor – Austin, TX: 512.343.9355