Who is at risk?
Most healthy women under the age of 30 shouldn't worry about infertility unless they've been trying to get pregnant for at least a year. At this point, women should talk to their doctors about a fertility evaluation. Men should also talk to their doctors if this much time has passed.

In some cases, women should talk to their doctors sooner. Women in their 30s who've been trying to get pregnant for six months should speak to their doctors as soon as possible. A woman's chances of having a baby decrease rapidly every year after the age of 30. So getting a complete and timely fertility evaluation is especially important.

Many things can affect a woman's ability to have a baby. These include:

    * age
    * stress
    * poor diet
    * athletic training
    * being overweight or underweight
    * tobacco smoking
    * alcohol
    * sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
    * health problems that cause hormonal changes

The number and quality of a man's sperm can be affected by his overall health and lifestyle. Some things that may reduce sperm number and/or quality include:

    * alcohol
    * drugs
    * environmental toxins, including pesticides and lead
    * smoking cigarettes
    * health problems
    * medicines
    * radiation treatment and chemotherapy for cancer
    * age