About one in six couples experience difficulty in achieving conception at some stage during their reproductive years. For some, this is temporary and pregnancy ensues spontaneously after a variable period of trying. However, there are others who can only become pregnant through medical intervention.

Steady progress has been made in recent decades in the treatment of infertility Consequently, a large proportion of infertile couples should now have a realistic Expectation of being able to have children, although it may take time and many treatment attempts for this to happen. Treatment could be by the administration of medication or performing surgery or a combination of both. Couples in whom these treatments are unsuccessful or are not suitable can have assisted conception treatment: several thousand babies have now been delivered world-wide following the birth of the first so-called test-tube baby in 1978. Infertility is associated with psychological upheaval and perpetual mental anguish. Furthermore, infertility treatments impose physical, social financial and Mentral stress on the couple. The stress is worse with the assisted reproduction technologies and success is not guaranteed in the first or any specific cycle of tyreatment. Knowledge and information are the best tools with which infertile couples can tackle their problem and obtain the best possible treatment for themselves. They need to know about their bodies and how conception takes place. They also need to know when how and where to the various available treatment modalities, their efficacy and drawbacks. Their knowledge of the subject matter should be enough to allow them to follow their treatment as it progresses thereby making for better compliance with the treatment regimens.