Infertility concept with blue baby shoes
Raihana Asral/Shutterstock
Sponsored: Our editors have independently chosen the products listed on this page. If you purchase something mentioned in this article, we may earn a small commission.

Sponsored

Sponsored
Oct 01, 2024

Sponsored

The Sobering Truth About Fertility

Sponsored
Nov 10, 2024

Global declines in birth rates have made headlines, but the rise of male and female infertility has largely been overlooked. Infertility is defined as the inability to get pregnant after trying for one year. In 2021, Scientific American reported that the world-wide fertility rate dropped by almost 1% per year from 1960 to 2018.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about 1 in 5 American married women in their reproductive years have difficulty in either getting pregnant or carrying to a live birth, and 11.4% of men ages 15-49 have some form of infertility.

For women, a study found a 1% per year increase in reported miscarriage rates in the U.S. over a two-decade period. The increase in infertility among women has manifested itself in the increased use of assisted reproductive technologies, including egg freezing and in vitro fertilization among younger women, not just those that waited to start families until after age 35. There also has been an increasing trend in the use of gestational surrogacy  as family has taken on a wider definition than traditionally, and as corporations have begun to include fertility benefits in their employee compensation packages.

Numerous studies have identified an increase in male fertility issues, including:

  • Declines in sperm concentration (52%) and total sperm count (nearly 60%) between 1973 and 2011. At this rate, average sperm count could be zero by the middle of this century.
  • Decreases in testosterone levels of almost 1% per year during recent decades in excess of natural, age-related declines.
  • Declines in total testosterone levels among adolescent and young adult males from 1999 to 2016. 
  • Increases in testicular cancer rates.
  • Increases in the prevalence of erectile dysfunction among younger men.

REFERENCES
Advanced Search on this topic

Other Articles in this category

Oct 21, 2024 | Sponsored
For women, the causes of infertility may range from health conditions like hormonal imbalances, ovarian dysfunction and endometriosis; and lifestyle…
Jun 25, 2024 | Sponsored
Did you know that cold-water immersion and cold plunging have been around for centuries? This ancient practice has been used not only to improve…
Apr 16, 2024 | Sponsored
Red light therapy (RLT) is a type of treatment that uses red and near-infrared light to improve the overall health of the skin. This therapy is often…
Feb 28, 2024 | Sponsored
Detox is more than a trending buzzword! There’s a reason biohackers, physicians, and people interested in overall health and wellness are talking…

Customer Service

KnoWEwell News Updates