Female infertility 

Female infertility refers to infertility in female humans. Infertility is caused by many sources,
including nutrition, diseases, and other malformations of the uterus. Infertility affects women from
around the world, and the cultural and social stigma surrounding it varies.
There is no unanimous definition of female infertility, because the definition depends on social and
physical characteristics which may vary by culture and situation. NICE guidelines state that: "A
woman of reproductive age who has not conceived after 1 year of unprotected vaginal sexual
intercourse, in the absence of any known cause of infertility, should be offered further clinical
assessment and investigation along with her partner." It is recommended that a consultation with
a fertility specialist should be made earlier if the woman is aged 36 years or over, or there is a known
clinical cause of infertility or a history of predisposing factors for infertility. According to the World
Health Organization(WHO), infertility can be described as the inability to become pregnant, maintain
a pregnancy, or carry a pregnancy to live birth. A clinical definition of infertility by the WHO and
ICMART is “a disease of the reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a clinical
pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse.” Infertility can further
be broken down into primary and secondary infertility. Primary infertility refers to the inability to give
birth either because of not being able to become pregnant, or carry a child to live birth, which may
include miscarriage or a stillborn child.  Secondary infertility refers to the inability to conceive or give
birth when there was a previous pregnancy or live birth.