Infertility affects thousands of women who have difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term. Types of infertility include:
- Primary infertility refers to a woman's inability to get pregnant after one year or more of regular unprotected intercourse with a male partner. For women 35 or older, it is very reasonable to see a reproductive endocrinologist after 6 months of unprotected intercourse without conception.
- Secondary infertility refers to a woman with at least one prior pregnancy who is now having trouble conceiving. This is a very common reason to see a fertility specialist.
- Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is a condition related to infertility that refers to women who have had two or more miscarriages.
There are many other reasons to see a fertility specialist outside of these definitions, especially if you have a known risk factor or reason to need fertility treatment before trying naturally.
