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 Concern
 Treatment
Pregnancy
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Concern
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A Growing Concern
From the 1960s until the 1980s, the incidence of
primary infertility increased in many Western countries. It’s
widely believed that this was caused by an increased incidence of
pelvic inflammatory disease in women, resulting in obstruction of
the fallopian tubes.
During the 1980s, the percentage of couples with primary
infertility was relatively stable, but the number of women entering
the reproductive age group increased. This meant that there were
considerably more infertile couples in the late 1980s than there
were at the beginning of the decade.
Over the last few decades, the birth rate in the Western countries
has fallen considerably. Part of this decline in fertility is due
to couples postponing childbirth, or deciding not to have children
because of social factors, with a resulting trend to smaller, later
families.
Female fertility begins to decline quite rapidly after the age of
about 35 years, and this is clearly shown in the following figure.
The cumulative pregnancy rate refers to the percentage of women
attempting to become pregnant who achieve pregnancy over the course
of one year.
Influence of age on the cumulative pregnancy
rate
Despite the fact that fertility rates decline with age, the number
of women over the age of 35 giving birth for the first time has
more than doubled in recent decades. This seems to be due mainly
to:- Women postponing having children, for career
considerations or other factors.
- An increase in the female population aged 35
to 49.
It is thought that approximately one half of
couples with primary infertility seek medical treatment, as well as
one fifth of those with secondary infertility. The demand for
infertility evaluation and treatment has increased dramatically.
With the increased demand, fertility clinics, services, counselling
and treatment centres have multiplied.
One positive consequence of this growth is that you can be assured
that there is a wealth of specialist knowledge, expertise and
support available to guide you through this challenging time.
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