610-981-6000

Posts Tagged ‘Statistics’

Know the Facts about Male Infertility

Monday, October 31st, 2011

As we’ve noted here before, up to a third of all cases of infertility between couples can be attributed to male infertility factors. But how much do you really know about this condition?

To help you understand male infertility a little better, we’ve amassed a series of statistics and facts:

• In the United States, around 6 percent of men aged teen to midlife have fertility difficulties. Outside of the United States, especially in developing countries, that figure can be significantly higher.

• Up to 71 percent of males who are diagnosed as infertile have infections, many of which are caused by untreated sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) like chlamydia.

• Up to 90 percent of male infertility causes can be traced back to low sperm count. (Again, that low sperm count can be the result of many different issues, including an undiagnosed STD.)

• One in 25 males has a low sperm count. (This may or may not lead to male infertility, as the determining factor is whether or not the sperm are healthy and viable.)

• Blood tests and semen analysis are the most popular ways to determine the cause of male infertility.

• Some sources suggest that male infertility may be more prevalent than female infertility, although this hypothesis is heavily debated in the fertility specialist community.

If you’re interested in learning more about male infertility and you’re in the Philadelphia or Wyomissing, PA areas, please contact the Reproductive Science Institute today for an appointment. We’d be happy to discuss and evaluate your unique situation.

 

Is Fertility Treatment Right For You?

Follow RSI on Twitter!

Join our group on Facebook.

“Top Chef” Star Padma Lakshmi Gives Birth to Baby Girl

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

In one of our posts from last October, we sent our congratulations to “Top Chef”‘s Padma Lakshmi.  Lakshmi struggled for many years with endometriosis, which can cause infertility in some women.  Fortunately, she was able to conceive and gave birth to a baby girl Saturday evening (February 20).

Lakshmi’s experience shows how infertility linked to endometriosis can and does affect women representing all walks of life, including superstars.  Although statistics aren’t widely available, rates of infertility among women with endometriosis range from 30-50%.

If you think you might have endometriosis (or you know you do) and you want to have a baby, it’s important to work with your doctor to give you the best chance to conceive despite your medical condition.

  • RSI… helping miracles happen.
  • Join RSI on Twitter.
  • Infertility Isn’t Only a Woman’s Issue

    Monday, February 8th, 2010

    Too often, people tend to think of infertility as being a female issue.  Though this is probably due to the fact that women are the ones carrying the children, there’s as much of a likelihood that a couple’s inability to conceive is a male problem as that it is a female one.

    Statistics vary on how often couples’ conception problems are related to female issues as opposed to males — some sources say a third of fertility problems is due to the female’s infertility, a third is due to the male’s infertility and a third is due to unknown circumstances.  Other sources have the figures at 40%, 40% and 20%.  But the crux of the studies show that men have just as much chance of having infertility issues as do women.

    It’s time to stop thinking of infertility as something that’s primarily related to women.  Truly, it’s a condition that’s “equal opportunity”.

  • RSI… helping miracles happen.
  • Join RSI on Twitter.
  • Fertility Really Can Be a Matter of Age

    Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

    Many women feel they are somehow “inadequate” if they are having difficulty conceiving children.  But if they’re over 30, they need to consider that fertility is definitely a “numbers game.”

    Recent research has shown that by the age of 30, women have about a 1 in 5 chance of getting pregnant during their cycles.  Thus, without any other complications or problems, the success rate is only 20%.  (Compare that with a much higher success rate for women in their early twenties.)

    To make matters more complicated, that statistic dips to a 1 in 20 chance (or 5%) by the time the woman is 40. 

    Though the numbers may be sobering, it’s important to remember that age is a natural process; therefore, it’s critical for women not to “kick themselves” for waiting to conceive.

    Fortunately, many women have found that through a variety of fertility treatments, they can improve upon those statistics.  It’s just a matter of working with a reproductive health specialist who understands how to evaluate and, when possible, maximize a female’s fertility.

  • RSI… helping miracles happen.
  • Join RSI on Twitter.