Infertility Statistics

Infertility is a type of problem that is more abundantly spread throughout the population than you may have thought. The more that you know about medical topics such as infertility, the better suited you’ll be for dealing with the problems if they occur in your life or in the life of someone that you know. In this article, we’ll work towards helping to increase your understanding of the subject of infertility by relaying some statistics regarding the problem.
Even in industrialized countries such as America, infertility is a widespread problem. Current estimates place the number of couples that face problems with infertility at a rate of one out of ten couples. That accounts for a large number of people, with estimates placing the number of married partners that have problems conceiving at approximately six million couples per year worldwide.
One of the most commonly used types of procedures that can be of merit when it comes to infertility is known as in vitro fertilization. In this type of procedure, an egg is extracted from the female as well as some sperm from the male in the relationship. The two reproductive agents are then mixed in a Petri dish, allowing for insemination to occur. The fertile egg is then placed in the woman’s womb in order to complete the process and hopefully kick-start a pregnancy. This procedure is performed approximately 100,000 times per year in America alone. Statistics have shown that while the in vitro fertilization process can be helpful, it is by no means a guarantee of fertility. Since the procedure was pioneered, more than 177,000 children have been born in America alone thanks to it. Some statistics place the number of babies created via in vitro fertilization at three million children worldwide since the procedure was first began in the 1970s.
Since infertility can be such a tragic time for so many couples, many different insurance carriers have begun to cover some of the expensive costs that one may incur when trying to conceive a child. While federal law does not require insurance companies to assist in infertility costs, fifteen states in the US have created laws to help infertile couples. These laws cause the insurance companies to be at least partially responsible for some of the costs of fertility treatment. Some employers offer fertility types of benefits, while some only offer to help with the costs of adoption, avoiding covering the subject of infertility.
Now that you know a little bit more about how widespread fertility problems can be and the types of things that you can do to help to get your procedures paid for, you are better able to deal with any infertility problems that may occur in the future. If you find that you are unable to conceive despite your best efforts and fertility treatments, you may want to consider the idea of adoption. There are many kids out there that are without a family and that can provide the same types of love and warmth that a biological child of your own may offer.