Etiology of infertility in couples attending maternity hospital in Erbil

Background and objective: Infertility remains a global health challenge with devastating psycho-social consequences in many communities and an underlying long-term risk for separation of the couple, also remains a major clinical and social problem. Infertility is defined as inability of a couple to conceive naturally after one year of intercourse. An understanding of the medical causes of infertility is crucial in order to reduce incidences of infertility and for improving the clinical management of infertility. The aim of the study was to determine the causes of infertility in couples. Methods: A retrospective study was done in IVF Unit at Maternity Teaching Hospital in Erbil. Data of infertile couples were collected from already prepared patient’s files. Results: The frequency of primary and secondary infertility among women was 62.97% and 37.03%, respectively. Among 370 couples, 35.68% had female factor, 29.46% had both male and female factors, and 19.73% had male factor, while 15.14% of the couples had unexplained infertility. Conclusion: Primary infertility was common health problem in couples, also the causes of infertility in women is noticed more than men.