About 35 percent of infertility is caused by a problem with the woman's reproductive system, while 35 percent is caused by the man's reproductive system. The remaining 30 percent are infertile for unexplained or unknown reasons. Here are some of the known causes of infertility:

Causes of Infertility

• Women
  • Blocked or scarred fallopian tubes
  • Endometriosis, a condition in which uterine tissue separates and attaches itself in the lower abdomen.
  • Genetic structural abnormalities of the reproductive system
• Men
  • Abnormal or too few sperm
  • Genetic structural abnormalities of the reproductive system

Treatment for Infertility

Here are some of the types of treatments.

• Outpatient reversal of sterilization
• Male reproductive testing, including computerized semen analysis, sperm penetration assay, sperm antibody testing and various sperm preparation and capacitation techniques
• Comprehensive evaluation and treatment for recurring miscarriage
• Conservative surgery for endometriosis, one of the leading causes of infertility in women
• Various forms of artificial insemination, including intrauterine insemination and therapeutic donor insemination
• Superovulation with intrauterine insemination (treatment with fertility drugs followed by artificial semination)
• Advanced laparoscopic surgery, including laser laparoscopy

Explanations

Here's a brief explanation of some of the ART techniques.

• In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
  Literally, IVF means "in glass" - it refers to any fertility technique in which a woman's egg is fertilized by her partner's sperm in a petri dish. The fertilized egg or eggs are then inserted into her fallopian tubes or uterus, where implantation will hopefully occur.
• Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer (GIFT)
  This technique is for women whose fallopian tubes aren't scarred or blocked. Eggs are retrieved from the woman's ovaries, mixed with her partner's sperm and then injected into the woman's fallopian tubes, where fertilization and hopefully, implantation will occur. The advantages of GIFT are that the embryo is fertilized where it normally would be, and it reaches the uterus the right time after fertilization.
• Zygote Intrafallopian Transfer (ZIFT)
  This technique is similar to GIFT. In ZIFT, however, doctors transfer zygotes (eggs that are already fertilized but haven't yet divided) into the woman's fallopian tubes, while GIFT involves sperm and eggs.
• Intracytomplasmic Sperm Insertion (ICSI)
  ICSI is an IVF technique in which a single sperm is injected through the egg's outer membrane so that it fertilizes the egg. The fertilized egg or eggs are then implanted into the woman's uterus or fallopian tubes. This technique is used when there are problems with the strength or amount of the male partner's sperm.
• Assisted hatching
  Assisted hatching is an IVF technique in which a small hole is made in the outer shell of the egg so that the sperm can more easily fertilize it. The fertilized egg or eggs are then transplanted into the woman's uterus or fallopian tubes.