Fertility

Merck Serono is the world leader in fertility treatment. With a portfolio of fertility drugs, our vision is to develop and market innovative, easy-to-use products to help infertile couples at every stage of the reproductive cycle: from follicular development to early pregnancy.

Infertility is the diminished or absent capacity to produce offspring. The term does not imply the complete inability to have children, and should not be confused with sterility. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Evidence (NICE) defines infertility as failure to conceive after frequent unprotected sexual intercourse for one to two years in couples in the reproductive age group. (NICE CG011)

Infertility can be primary, in couples who have never conceived, or secondary, in couples who have previously conceived. It is estimated that infertility affects one in seven couples in the UK.

A typical primary care trust, health board or strategic health authority may therefore expect to see around 230 new consultant referrals (couples) per 250 000 head of population per year.

A cause of infertility is not identified in 30% of couples. In a further 27% of couples the cause is attributed to ovulatory disorders; in 14% of couples tubal damage. A low sperm count or quality is thought to contribute to infertility in 19% of couples. However, the presence of disorders in both the man and the woman has been reported to occur in about 39% of cases.

After medical examinations, the causes of infertility remain unexplained in only 5-10% of couples. The World Health Organisation (WHO) believes that there are around 60-80 million infertile couples in the world.