Infertility is defined as the inability to become pregnant after at least one to two years, during which full sexual intercourse takes place between them in a regular manner. Infertility concerns both women and men. Historically, infertility was considered a disease of women, and the contribution of men to this issue was not discovered until fifty years ago.

Pregnancy does not occur when one or both spouses are sterile or have very weak reproductive capacity.

The ability of the man and woman to have children changes with time, which means that both spouses need to undergo medical examinations after consulting doctors when the wife’s pregnancy is delayed.

There are two types of infertility: primary infertility and secondary infertility.

• Primary Infertility: The pregnancy has never been achieved after a full year of trying if the woman is more than 35 years old, and two years if she is less than 35 years old.
• Secondary Infertility: The inability to become pregnant after six months of the previous pregnancy (regardless of what was the result of the prior pregnancy, whether it was childbirth or abortion), despite the continued attempt to become pregnant during this period.

What are the causes of infertility?
To find out the underlying causes of infertility between spouses, it is important to evaluate the spouses and the type of interaction between them.

Reasons: They are health illnesses related to the health of one or both spouses (in 10% of cases, the causes of infertility will not be known).

Many environmental, genetic, pathological, and nutritional factors can contribute to infertility, namely:

• Congenital malformations of the reproductive system of one of the spouses
• Hormonal gland disease
• Genetic defect
• Advanced age
• Sexually transmitted diseases
• Exposure to harmful substances such as arsenic, substances in cigarettes, caffeine, alcohol, and pesticides.
• Males infected with mumps in childhood.
• Exposure to working conditions in places with excessive heat.
• Obesity

Infertility prevention methods

• Medical examination of newborns to ensure the integrity of the reproductive system from congenital malformations.
• Reducing or abstaining from smoking, alcohol, and caffeine
• Prevention or treatment of sexually transmitted diseases
• Avoiding unsafe abortion
• Personal hygiene of the genitals
• Men avoid wearing tight clothes (because they increase the temperature of the testicles and thus reduce the amount of sperm production).
• Work in appropriate environmental and sanitary conditions.