Any woman can have an ectopic pregnancy, but those whose tubes have been damaged are at greatest risk, even after corrective surgery. Although surgical repair of the damage lowers the risk of having an ectopic pregnancy, it remains higher than for women with tubes that have never been damaged. Endometriosis, a common disorder in women, also can cause or contribute to infertility when small pieces of the uterine lining escape and take up residence on the surfaces of organs in the abdominal cavity. Inflammation and consequent chronic irritation from the misplaced tissue can result in significant internal scarring of the ovaries, fallopian tubes, inner or outer walls of the uterus, or other nearby structures, so that the woman cannot conceive. Success rates in treating this disorder are in the 50 to 60 percent range, and depend on several factors, including the patient's age and disease severity.
Some infertility treatments attempt to get a pregnancy started without intercourse.
Artificial insemination, the oldest of these treatments, has been used for more than a century. All inseminations are performed around the time the woman should be ovulating, either naturally or after priming with a fertility drug. Electrical stimulation can be used to help them overcome this problem and the ejaculate is collected and inseminated in their wives. Fresh semen was once used for all inseminations and still is, as a rule, for AIHs, but because of concern about AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, it is now recommended that anonymous donor semen be frozen for at least 180 days before use. Some women become pregnant with one insemination.