About Fertility

There can be many causes of infertility. 15-20% of the population is experiencing infertility either periodically or continuously. In Denmark approximately 8% of all children are being born after fertility treatment. We experience the same trend in the rest of the Western world, where 1 out of 7 couples seek medical advice for infertility.

The majority succeeds in having children, but about 3% of the population remains unwanted childless.

We divide the causes of infertility in the following way:

How long should we try to achieve pregnancy, before we seek treatment?

Generally in less than one year. After that, about 84% of all couples have achieved pregnancy. After two years, about 92% have achieved pregnancy. In some cases, we would recommend to seek medical advice and appropriate treatment earlier:

  • If the woman has irregular menstrual periods
  • If the woman has previously had a serious pelvic inflammatory disease or ectopic pregnancy.
  • If the woman is over 37 years, it may be prudent not to wait too long because the possibility that a woman can become pregnant decreases with age, especially after 37 years of age. See more about egg quality and age.
  • If the man had inguinal hernia or undescended testes in childhood, it is also a good idea to get a semen sample tested.
  • If one of you earlier have been in a relationship where it was difficult to achieve pregnancy.
Mother and baby in park

Find out more about the causes of female infertility

father and baby reading book

Find out more about the causes of male infertility.