7 factors that can affect fertility
Not everyone becomes pregnant when they plan to. Here’s what might be getting in the way and what you can do about it.
Slide 1
Whether you’re planning to start a family or add to your existing one, pregnancy can be a complicated process. Some people conceive right away, while it can take others months or years to get a positive pregnancy test. Everyone has a unique set of circumstances and the ability to become pregnant and to sustain that pregnancy depends on many factors.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in every eight couples has difficulty getting pregnant or staying pregnant. Single people who are trying to become pregnant may have additional challenges, as they navigate the world of egg and/or sperm donors, insemination, and in vitro fertilization (IVF). Some causes of infertility are controllable and avoidable, while others aren’t.
If you’re trying to become pregnant, or looking ahead to the future, there’s more to it than age (although that does play a role in the ease with which you may become pregnant). Women over 35 have an increased risk of infertility. Men also see a decline in fertility as they age.
Here's how Peter Nassar, MD, an OBGYN with Saint Agnes Care Obstetrics and Gynecology in Fresno, California, prepares his patients for conception, plus some of the factors that can affect fertility.
Sources (6)
- Mazur DJ, Lipshultz LI. Infertility in the Aging Male. Curr Urol Rep. 2018 May 17;19(7):54.
- Tong N, Witherspoon L, Dunne C, et al. Global decline of male fertility: Fact or Fiction? BC Medical Journal. 2022;64(3):126-130.
- Bundhun PK, Janoo G, Bhurtu A, et al. Tobacco smoking and semen quality in infertile males: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health. 2019 Jan 8;19(1):36.
- American Society of Reproductive Medicine. Optimizing Fertility: A Committee Opinion (2022. Accessed September 8, 2023.
- Harvard T.H. Chan school of Public Health, Adult Obesity. Accessed September 11, 2023.
- Hatch EE, Willis SK, Wesselink AK, et al. Male cellular telephone exposure, fecundability, and semen quality: results from two preconception cohort studies. Hum Reprod. 2021;36(5):1395-1404.