There are many causes of infertility in couples. Both men and women have equal possibilities of being infertile and in a handful of cases both persons in a couple are have fertility problems. Even rarer are cases where the causes of infertility cannot be diagnosed. In cases such as these, the problem can easily be solved by increasing the frequency of intercourse and simple medications. Solutions to other problems are dependent on the problem itself.

In women the most common cause of infertility is Pelvic Inflammatory Disease. This is an infection in the pelvis area and the female sex organs. It affects the ovaries and fallopian tubes causing infertility. It can also cause an ectopic pregnancy and blood poisoning, which can be deadly. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is another popular cause of infertility in women. Follicles are prevented from producing eggs as male hormones are produced in excess which forms cysts instead. These cysts surround the ovaries leading to infertility.

Sexually transmitted diseases, too, are common causes of infertility. In certain women, the immune systems recognize the male sperm as a pathogen and produce antibodies to destroy them. This prevents eggs from ever being fertilized. Fibroids are a common condition where growths form around the uterus, preventing an egg from attaching itself. Women have a higher chance of fibroids forming as their age increases. Other illnesses such as diabetes and high blood pressure, in addition to age, can also lead to infertility in women.

In men, many of the causes of infertility are due to problems with the male organs. For instance, birth defects, injuries, mumps or hernia surgery can cause the male testes to be under developed, making them unable to produce sperm. Similarly testes that have not descended into the scrotum during birth cannot produce sperm and is one of the common causes of infertility in men.

Infections caused by sexually transmitted diseases and other diseases that block out the sperm ducts can also interfere with fertility. Also known as autoimmunity, males are capable of a condition similar to women, when their own bodies identify sperm cells as bacteria and kill those using antibodies. Very often the cause of this is a vasectomy. Another one of the popular causes of infertility in men is retrograde ejaculation, where the sperm are pushed backward into the bladder due to failure of the urethra muscle. The causes of retrograde ejaculation are diabetes, injuries to the spinal cord, and surgery to the prostrate, neck or bladder.

Most of the causes of infertility mentioned above cannot be cured as they are serious problems. However, there are methods that couples with infertility problems can still have a baby. There are many procedures offered by science today which allow couples to have a baby with simple medical intervention.