One in six couples have a problem conceiving a child. The issue of infertility is often misunderstood, even by well-educated people. Until recently, infertility was not often discussed publicly or even privately. Recent media reports about the topic have focused on stories such as the McCaughey septuplets of Iowa, doing little to disseminate accurate information about a topic that affects so many people.
Infertility is a woman's problem.
In fact, according to Resolve, a national infertility advocacy organization, men and women are about equally responsible when it comes to infertility. In the U.S., about 35 percent of infertility cases are solely due to female-related problems. About the same number are solely male-related. Twenty percent are due to a combination of male and female factors, and about 10 percent are unexplained. In the 1950s, technology to test a man's sperm and to collect and preserve donor sperm became available.