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Signs of infertility are really very simple: Either a couple conceives or they don’t - and if they don’t for over a year - this is a sign of infertility.

And two reasons that aging reduces a woman’s fertility are diminished health of her eggs and a reduced ability of the ovaries to release them. They also have a higher risk for miscarriage and other health problems that affect their fertility.

In her twenties is when a woman’s fertility is highest with a steadily increasing difficulty in conceiving into her thirties - as her ovaries stop making eggs at the rate they once did. The risk of miscarriage generally doesn’t become an issue until she reaches at least thirty-six. Drinking and smoking increases the level of infertility in all women. Today, aging is the most common fertility problem as women are choosing to have their first child at 35 or older.

Infertility is categorized as Primary or Secondary: Primary is when a woman can’t get pregnant after a year of trying and Secondary Infertility is when she can’t after a year of trying - but she had already become pregnant in some year past.

Both males and females have infertility problems, with the split being roughly 50-50, according to some experts on fertility. But the ratio is 60-40 - with the females having 60 percent of the infertility issues according to others. One in ten of couples trying to conceive will have difficulties, with four out of five being successful inside a year. What is a normal amount of time? Up to two years of trying, say experts.

Often, couples must each submit to thorough physical examinations to determine their fertility factors. There is a general misunderstanding by many couples that it’s only the female who could possibly have the fertility issue. Males, however, account for a large percentage, which is why it’s important that they get a medical exam as well.

The first tests normally done by a fertility specialist are for a woman’s levels of FSH and her LH. (These abbreviations stand for Follicle Stimulating Hormone and Luteinizing Hormone.) These tests are usually done on a woman’s first and her third visits to her doctor. It should be noted that the tests for these two hormones - Luteinzing Hormone and Follicle Stimulating Hormone - can be done on the male partner, as well. LH and FSH are both important for male fertility too.

Routine tests done later on the female include ultrasound tests, additional hormone tests, and a cervical mucus test. Not done very much nowadays, the cervical mucus test involves testing the post-coital mucus lining the vagina for healthy sperm. One reason for the test is if the male partner does not want to be tested.

Ultrasound testing can be done as part of your initial consultation with a reproductive endocrinologist. Ultrasound testing is done to get an overall picture of the health of all the female reproductive organs. Ultrasound imaging is also done to see if an egg has been released from ovulation.

The reproductive endocrinologist has many other hormone tests that he or she has available to them. The main ones are tests for prolactin, free T3, free testosterone, total testosterone, progesterone, estradiol, DHEAS, and androstenedione.

Treatments for infertility can be expensive and not covered by insurance, and it depends on what needs to be treated, and how far a couple is willing to go with treatment. A relatively common cause of infertility in women is PCOS or (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), which is treated with a drug called metformin in combination with clomiphene.

Failure to ovulate can be treated by clomiphene, with the next level of treatment being hormone therapy. One of the more undesirable side-effects of hormone therapy is the increased likelihood of having 3 or 4 babies all at once.

In Vitro Fertilization (a.k.a. “IVF”) is at the top of the most extreme measures that a couple can take in their effort to conceive. Expensive, emotionally and physically taxing, it requires daily hormone injections (can be painful), daily monitoring by a doctor, and regular blood testing. With acupuncture by fertility acupuncture specialists in combination with IVF, however, the success rate is very high indeed - one in three couples are parents. This can come with the ‘cost,’ however, of having to raise twins (one-third of couples who use IVF and get pregnant have twins).

Janet has been publishing helpful articles on fertility and pregnancy for years. Discover more about acupuncture and infertility and smart ways to monitor fertility with innovative solutions such as the Clearblue Fertility Monitor and other methods on the website.