Infertility is the inability to conceive, and affects one in six couples in the UK. It is not uncommon for conception to take several months, but if after twelve months you are still unsuccessful, further investigation should usually be undertaken.

There are a variety of things that lead to couples being unable to have children, including hormonal problems, immunological reasons or structural problems. Both men and women can suffer from these problems, and the majority of couples do go on to have children.

It is surprisingly difficult to conceive and there are many things that can go wrong during the process. Conception can only occur when enough sperm makes its way to the fallopian tubes and fertilises the egg that it meets. After being fertilised, the egg must move into the uterus and implant itself into the lining. The fertilised egg will then grow into a foetus.

The process can fail for many reasons, and sometimes doctors can't determine the reason for infertility, even after extensive tests and treatments. This is referred to as unexplained infertility. Some think that modern toxins and pollutants may contribute but no direct link has been confirmed. For the majority of cases however, the cause of the problem can be found, and almost 90% of the difficulties that couples face can be determined and treated. The majority of couples that suffer from infertility problems do go on to have a baby.