Adoption & Infertility

Infertility - Who is Affected?

Many couples today who want to begin a family find themselves facing infertility or impaired fecundity - the difficulty in conceiving or carrying a child to term. Many professionals consider a couple to be infertile if they have been unable to conceive a child within 12 months of having intercourse without the use of any form of birth control.

The cause of infertility can be a great mystery. Infertility may be due to several issues, which may or may not be easily diagnosed or treated. In some cases, no cause can be found in either partner.

How Many Americans are Affected?

• Today, approximately one in 10 American couples is infertile. (Fertility and Sterility, January 2005)
• Approximately 6.1 million women experienced impaired fecundity in 1995, compared with 4.9 million in 1988. Some of this increase may be due to the aging of the Baby Boom generation. (Fertility, Family Planning and Women's Health, 1997)
• There were 2.1 million infertile couples in 1995, compared to 2.3 million in 1988 and 2.4 million in 1982. (Freundlich, 1998)

Who is Affected?

• Almost one-third of infertile childless married women were in the 35-44 age group. (Freundlich, 1998)
• Impaired fecundity is no more prevalent in any one race or socioeconomic group, but those in higher socioeconomic groups use infertility services more often. (Mosher and Bachrach, 1996)
• Older women, childless women and married women are significantly more likely to report impaired fecundity, but differences by race or ethnicity are not significant. (Barth, Brooks, Iyer, 1995)
• The trends with regard to impaired fecundity and infertility among older childless women appear to be associated with two factors: delayed child bearing and the very large numbers of Baby Boom women who have moved farther into their reproductive years. One demographer has estimated that the number of women with impaired fecundity may drop to 4.7 million in 2015 and then rise again to between 4.8 million and 5.9 million in 2020. (Freundlich, 1998)

*Information provided by the National Adoption Clearinghouse and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Continue to Page 2:  The Journey from Infertility to Adoption