Infertility: common and general suffering that is increasing Infertility is a very common suffering affecting millions of people. It is estimated that, 2 out of 10 couples in reproductive age, have the problem. This means that, in the world, there are from 50 to 80 million people with it. Infertility does not respect races, social status, religion or nationality. Mexico is no exception. It is estimated that infertility affects more than 1 million people in our country. Infertility has increased in recent times due to environmental factors such as: pollution, change in life style producing stress, and also the wish of waiting longer to have a family. In the past, couples were searching for a pregnancy when the woman was between 20 and 30 years old. Today, lot of women wish to finish their studies and then develop professionally, thinking about maternity after they are 35 years old. It is at this age precisely that women start the slowdown of their eggs reserve until the menopause. Thus, the probability of having a child after 35 years of age decreases. Show more Infertility is considered a sickness Human beings have the procreation and protection instincts very well developed. Lot of people with infertility problems are affected emotionally; causing problems in their health, social relations with their partner, family and even at work. That is why the WHO considers infertility as a sickness. Due to its impact and the number of people who suffers it, in some countries it is considered an important health problem. Infertility definition: when can we consider the existence of infertility? The WHO and many societies of reproduction specialists define infertility as: a disease of the reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. Important considerations The consideration of 12 months is due to the fact that, the pregnancy rate in couples without infertility problems is of 10 to 20% per month. According to different studies with a wide number of couples, 100% of couples without any infertility problem, reach a pregnancy within 12 months. The consideration of regular sexual intercourse is 2 per week. Show more The effect of age in women infertility Since a woman is born, she has determined number of eggs that, will develop month by month to be ovulated and be fertilized. When time passes by and with every period, the eggs reserve in the ovaries diminishes. At 35 years of age, a slowdown starts until eggs are finished, with the arrive of menopause. The cells that produce the eggs have the peculiarity of, unlike sperm in men, not dividing to produce new eggs. So, the eggs of a 39 year old woman, will be also be 39. So, there is a higher probability of having problems with the eggs at an older age, having then a fertility problem. These problems mainly occur in women above 40 years old.