Background: Infertility in couples is one of the most important crises in life and is defined as the inability to conceive after ۱ year of sexual intercourse without using any method of contraception. Considering that
infertility and its treatments impose a significant economic burden on the family and society.Objective: the present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the epidemiology of infertility.Materials and Methods: In this review, all the articles published in the period of ۲۰۱۰-۲۰۲۲ in both Persian and English languages with full text through SID, Medlib, Magiran, Iran Medex, Google Scholar, Pubmed databases, with the keywords of infertility, epidemiology, Lifestyle and English equivalent were searched. After the initial review and search based on the list of sources, a total of ۱۵ Persian articles and ۲۸ English articles were included in the study.Results: Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after one year of unprotected sex and without the use of contraceptive methods, and it is divided into two categories: primary and secondary. Although
infertility is not a disease with clinical manifestations, it can be considered as a major life crisis. The global
infertility rate is reported to be between ۱۲ and ۱۵%, and more than one million infertile couples live in Iran. But due to geographical and demographic differences, there is no reliable estimate for the prevalence of
infertility in the world. The rate of primary
infertility has been reported from ۰.۶% to ۳.۴% for secondary
infertility and ۸.۷% to ۳۲.۶% for single variable infertility. There are several reasons for infertility, including male factors, ovulation disorders, old age (over ۳۵ years old), cervical factor, hormonal, tubal and peritoneal problems, genetic factors and abnormalities, endometriosis, sexual disorders, habits and lifestyle. There are high body mass, age at onset of sexual activity, biological disorders and premature menopause, previous pelvic surgeries and stress, medical conditions and unexplained causes. With detailed and complete investigations in affected couples, the causes of
infertility can be identified in ۸۵-۹۰% of cases and treated if possible. Many
infertility risk factors are preventable. In addition, prompt and appropriate treatments increase women's chances of fertility. In recent years, factors such as changing the role of women in social activities, delay in the age of marriage, change in the age of having children, increasing the use of birth control methods, the release of abortion and the unfavorable economic situation, have caused a decrease in the fertility rate in industrialized countries.Discussions: In spite of the fact that the prevalence of
infertility has been reported differently in different parts of Iran, the overall prevalence of
infertility in Iran is close to the global statistics, and considering that from the religious, historical and general culture of Iranian society, having children is very important,
infertility It can be one of the reasons for divorce. Knowing the pattern and rate of
infertility is one of the suitable indicators for family health planning.