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Infertility has many causes, and figuring out which applies to you may be very simple — or very difficult. Although women used to bear the brunt of blame for infertility, the truth is that male and female factors share equally in infertility. Consider the following statistics:

 One-third of infertility is caused by female factors.

 One-third of infertility is caused by male factors.

 Around 20 percent of infertility is unexplained.

 Around 10 to 15 percent of infertility is caused by a combination of male and female factors.

Among women, the main causes of infertility are

 Ovulatory disorders: No ovulation or irregular ovulation

 Tubal disorders: Blocked or infected tubes

 Uterine issues: Fibroids, polyps, or adhesions

For men the most common causes of infertility are

 Low sperm count

 Decreased sperm motility

 Abnormally shaped sperm

 No sperm at all in the ejaculate

Each of these categories of infertility can be caused by a number of things; for example, a decreased sperm count can be caused by a disease such as diabetes, by a birth defect, or by trauma. A woman can have blocked tubes from endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, or from a congenital malformation. Anovulation can be caused by polycystic ovarian syndrome, premature ovarian failure, or by overexercising. While it may be fairly obvious what the problem is, finding the reason for the problem may be more difficult.