Title: Types of infertility
Course: Family Planning - Ethiopia (Full)

Types of infertility

There are two types of infertility: primary and secondary.

Primary infertility is when a couple have never had children, or have been unable to achieve pregnancy after one year of living together despite having unprotected sexual intercourse.

Secondary infertility is when a couple have had children or achieved pregnancy previously, but are unable to conceive at this time, even after one year of having unprotected sexual intercourse.

Secondary infertility occurs more commonly than primary infertility, especially in developing countries where sexually transmitted infections are common. In many countries, induced abortion (intentionally done) contributes much to secondary infertility. Generally, it accounts for 60% of the total number of infertility cases.