INFERTILITY: Infertility means not being able to become pregnant within certain parameters. Infertility is a common problem of about 6% of women aged 15 to 44. Infertility can be due to the woman, the man, both sexes, or unknown problems. Infertility in men can be due to varicocele, trauma, low or absent sperm count, sperm damage, alcohol use, or certain diseases like diabetes, cystic fibrosis, autoimmune diseases, infections, hormonal disorders, and genetic disorders. Risk factors for men's infertility include alcohol and drug use, toxins, smoking, age, health problems like obesity, medicines like testosterone, radiation, excessive testicular heat, and chemotherapy. Risk factors for women's infertility include ovulation problems like polycystic ovary syndrome , blocked fallopian tubes, uterine problems, uterine fibroids, age, stress, poor diet, athletic training, and those risk factors listed for men. Aging is a major risk factor that decreases a woman's fertility. After age 35, about 33% of couples have fertility problems. Older women's eggs are reduced in number, not as healthy, and less likely to be released by the ovary. The woman is also more likely to have a miscarriage and other health problems. Women under age 35 should try for a year and women older than 35 should try for 6 months to become pregnant before contacting their doctors if they have no health problems. Doctors use the histories of both partners and may run tests such as sperm studies, ovulation tests, ultrasound, hysterosalpingography, or laparoscopy. Infertility may be treated with medicine, surgery, artificial insemination, or assisted reproductive technology, based on the couple’s test results and other factors. Multiple medicines may be used to treat infertility in women. Intrauterine insemination is artificial insemination in which a woman is injected with sperm into the uterus. In assisted reproductive technology (ART), a woman’s eggs are removed and mixed with sperm to make embryos that are placed back in the woman's body. Depending on the woman's age, ART has about a 3% to 31% success rate. There are several types of ART: in vitro fertilization, zygote transfer, gamete transfer, and intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Some couples obtain a baby with donor eggs when the woman's male partner’s sperm is used to fertilize another woman’s egg, and that other woman carries the fetus to term, and the infant is adopted. A gestational carrier is a woman who has an embryo placed in her uterus, carries the fetus to term and gives the baby to the couple (or responsible persons) that produced the embryo. Ashwini Hospital & Fertility Centre , Advanced Fertility Care Centre, Maternal & Child Health Care.