ABSTRACT
Infertility is common. It has been suggested that approximately 9% of couples are involuntarily childless, although the exact number inevitably depends on how the complaint is dened [1]. Medical denitions of infertility tend to emphasise the immediate problem brought to the consultation, reecting the typically shortterm interaction of many doctors, particularly specialists, with their patients. Most accepted denitions therefore involve the number of months before the consultation during which the couple has been exposed to the chance of a pregnancy. When the lifetime experience of a couple’s attempt to raise a family is considered, a quite different picture emerges. Studies from Oxford and Copenhagen revealed that at least one-quarter of all couples experience unexpected delays in achieving their desired family size [2,3] although only one half of these may seek treatment [3].
