Infertility in fertile couples

Abstract

A paper read at the Annual Conference of the Society for the Study of Fertility, at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 11th July, 1968. In selecting this title for my brief contribution I felt that a little time of this Conference could deservedly be devoted to the plight of those married couples whom we know to be fertile who yet remain childless. It is in this sense that I speak of infertility in those cases where the husband's semen is normal, the wife ovulates regularly, and indeed fertilization occurs repeatedly, but where yet the pitiful couple continue to yearn for a viable child. Too many childless couples actually owe their plight to recurrent abortion. This is particularly tragic because here the deficiency is not one of ovulation or fertilization. At a time when abortion is so readily treated with depot progesterone, it is important to realize that three causes of habitual abortion are: Congenital malformation of the uterus, cervical incompetence and intra-uterine adhesions. Heterography is indicated routinely after two spontaneous abortions.