What are the 2025 Fertility Statistics I Need to Know About?

Fertility is a growing concern for people around the world. As many as one in six couples reportedly struggle to conceive, and 42% of Americans have either sought fertility treatment themselves or know someone who has.  

But there is some good news to be found, with more folks turning to the medical community for help and the number of babies conceived with fertility treatment on the rise.  

The truth about fertility statistics comes down to the numbers. So what are those numbers? Let’s dig in.  

Is it a baby bust or a baby boom?

The number of births in the United States went down 2% in 2023. In fact, the number of births has declined by an average of 2% per year from 2015 to 2020, including a decline of 4% from 2019 to 2020. There was a slight rise (thanks, pandemic!) of 1% from 2020 to 2021, and virtually no change from 2021 to 2022. 

The birth rate is lower now than it was, say for our parents. Researchers say this is because more folks are waiting longer to have babies, fewer teenagers are having babies, people are having fewer children, or decide not to have children at all. There isn't much information about how much infertility contributes to the decline in births.

The birth rate (which is calculated by number of births per 1,000 women), has decreased for younger women under 40, but remained flat for women over 40.

• The birth rate for teenagers ages 15–19 declined 3% from 2022 to 2023
• The birth rate for women ages 20-24 declined 4% 
• The birth rate for women age 25-29 declined 3%
• The birth rate for women age 30-34 declined 2%
• The birth rate for women age 35-39 declined 1%
• The birth rate for women age 40-44 was unchanged
• The birth rate for women 45+ was also unchanged

Data via the Centers for Disease Control, here.

Everyone knows someone facing infertility

The fertility journey is one that can be bumpy, and if you’re nodding your head at that notion, you’re not alone: 

• 1 in 6 individuals worldwide experience infertility. 
• 13.4% of women experience difficulties becoming pregnant or carrying a child to term.
• 19% of all couples are unable to conceive after a year of unprotected sex.
• 10% of all couples are unable to conceive after two years of unprotected sex. 
• 42% of Americans have turned to fertility treatments or know someone who has.

(Data via the WHO, here; the Centers for Disease Control, here; the NIH, here; Pew Research Center, here)

Age and fertility

If you feel like that biological clock is tick, tick, ticking, you’re probably asking what your birthday really means when it comes to fertility. 

• Age and getting pregnant: A 25-year-old woman who has been trying to conceive for three months has an 18% chance of getting pregnant in their next menstrual cycle. A 40-year-old woman who has been trying to conceive for three months has a 7% chance. 
• Age and miscarriage: At 35, you have about a 20% risk of miscarriage. At age 40, the risk is about 33% to 40%. And by age 45, it ranges from 57% to 80%.
• Age and fertility treatment outcomes: Age matters when it comes to fertility treatment success too. Younger women have better outcomes than those over 35.
• Age and risk of having a baby with a chromosomal abnormality: The risk of having a baby with a chromosomal abnormality is 0.2% at age 20, 0.3% at 30, 1.6% at 40, and 15% by age 49.
• When to seek help: Women younger than 35 are advised to seek help after a year of trying to conceive.  Women 35 and older are advised to seek help after 6 months of trying to conceive. We think it’s never too early to talk to your doctor about fertility.

Luckily, there have been tons of advancements in Pre-implantation Genetic Screening (PGS)—so if you’re undergoing IVF, you may be able to circumvent any potential chromosomal abnormalities within the embryo you choose to transfer. As we age, the number of overall eggs decreases too. On average, ACOG estimates women have:

• Birth: 1-2 million eggs
• Puberty: 300,000 - 500,000 eggs
• 37 years old: 25,000 eggs
• 51 years old: 1,000 eggs

‍(Data via the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, here; the National Institutes of Health, here; PLOS One, here; and the Centers for Disease Control, here; Mayo Clinic, here; American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, here.) 

Read more: What You Need to Know About Getting Pregnant In Your 40s.

Causes of infertility

All bodies are different. So it’s probably no big surprise that fertility causes are different from case to case. For hetero couples facing infertility:

• One-third of cases are due to male infertility.
• One-third of cases are due to female fertility.
• One-third of cases are due to both partners or entirely unknown.

When it comes to female infertility:

• The most common overall cause of female infertility is not ovulating, which occurs in 40% of women with infertility.
• Structural problems, like the presence of abnormal tissue in the fallopian tubes or uterus, is another common reason for female infertility. Structural issues prevent the egg from meeting the sperm or prevent the embryo from implanting. 
• Infections, past and present, are also a common reason for infertility.
• There are many other reasons a female may face infertility including endometriosis, egg quality or quantity issues, PCOS, autoimmune disorders, and fibroids.

When it comes to male infertility:

• The most common issues that lead to infertility in men are problems that affect how the testicles work. 
• A complete lack of sperm occurs in about 10% to 15% of infertile men.
• Other problems that lead to male infertility include hormone imbalances or blockages in the male reproductive organs. 
• Unfortunately, in about 50% of cases, the cause of male infertility cannot be determined.
  

(Data via the NIH, here, here, and here.)

PCOS

PCOS is short for polycystic ovarian syndrome, and it can send a woman’s hormones into a tailspin, affecting the monthly release of eggs needed to get pregnant. That lack of an egg release is called anovulation, and it’s one of the most common—but also most treatable—reasons for fertility struggles in women. Here’s what the US Department of Health and Human Services has to say:  

• Between 5% and 10% women of childbearing age have PCOS.
• Women with PCOS have higher rates of miscarriage, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and cesarean section (C-section).
• More than half of women with PCOS will have diabetes or prediabetes (glucose intolerance) before the age of 40. Depression and anxiety are common among women with PCOS.
• 30% of couples seeking fertility treatment are diagnosed with anovulation. 90% of anovulation cases are caused by PCOS.

‍(Data via the US Dep't of Health & Human Services, here, and Frontiers in Bioscience 6, here.)

Endometriosis

Ever heard of the endometrium? It’s what doctors call the lining of your uterus. If you’re thinking endometrium and endometriosis sound pretty similar, you can probably guess where this is going. This issue with the lining of the uterus is often linked to fertility struggles:  

• 1 in 10 women are affected by endometriosis during their reproductive years.
• Around 40% of women with infertility have endometriosis.
• Endometriosis can be treated with surgery. However, up to 8 in 10 women have pain again within 2 years.

(Data via the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, here.)

Variocele

If an enlarged vein in the testicle sounds painful, imagine what it can do to babymaking. The doctors call this varicocele, and it accounts for a significant number of fertility issues in men.  

• 15% of men have varicocele.
• 25% to 35% of men with primary infertility problems have varicocele.
• 50% to 80% of men with secondary infertility issues have varicocele.
• Roughly a quarter of men with an abnormal semen analysis have a varicocele.

(Data via the Asian Journal of Andrology, here.)

Lack of sperm (azoospermia)

It takes sperm to make a baby, so what happens when there is none? It’s called azoospermia, and it is a major factor when it comes to male infertility.  

• 10% to 15% of men who are infertile suffer from a lack of sperm.
• 1% of all men suffer from azoospermia.

Treatment of azoospermia depends on the cause. Azoospermia can be “obstructive,” where there is a blockage preventing sperm from entering the ejaculate, or it can be “nonobstructive” when it is due to decreased sperm production by the testis.

‍(Data via the National Institutes of Health, here; Johns Hopkins Medicine, here; and Clinics, here.)

Other causes of infertility

Not seeing anything familiar? There are some other factors out there that could be causing you to see just one pink line on that pregnancy test each month.  

• As much as 13% of female infertility is caused by cigarette smoking.
• 12% of fertility concerns are related to a woman weighing either too much or too little.
• 8.9% to 68.7% of men with infertility report a lack of sexual desire and lack of sexual satisfaction as types of sexual dysfunction.
• In many cases, the reason for infertility is simply unknown.

‍(Data via the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, here; and Nature Reviews Urology, here.)

Fertility treatment statistics

More women than ever are turning to the medical community for help having a baby. As much as 85% to 90% of infertility cases are treated with conventional medical therapies such as medication or surgery. Others seek IUI or IVF.

(Data via the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, here, and the Centers for Disease Control, here.)

IUI

Need a lingo guide? IUI is short for intrauterine insemination. This is the process where a doctor takes a male partner’s (or sperm donor’s) sperm and inserts it into the uterus. It’s one of the least invasive treatments out there, and it is often recommended before IVF.  

• There is no data tracked on number of IUI cycles performed in the United States.
• IUI can be done with or without medication.
• IUI can be helpful for unexplained infertility, cervical abnormalities, problems with intercourse, or using donor sperm or a partner’s frozen sperm.
• Success rates for IUI are low: 10.9% per cycle, or 19.4% across cycles.

(Data via the Centers for Disease Control, here; the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, here, and Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics, here)

IVF

In vitro fertilization (or IVF) gets another cool acronym: ART, or assisted reproductive technology. By the CDC’s definition, ART is any fertility treatment in which either eggs or embryos are handled. So what happens if you are undergoing IVF, or another form of ART?  

• There were 91,771 babies born from IVF in 2022, up from 89,208 in 2021.
• There were 389,993 IVF cycles that occurred in the U.S. in 2022, a 6% increase from 2021.
• 33% of people undergoing IVF get pregnant during their first IVF cycle.
• 54-77% of women undergoing IVF get pregnant by the eighth cycle.

(Data via the Centers for Disease Control, here; the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, here; The Medical Journal of Australia, here; the University of New South Wales, here; and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, here.)

Surrogacy

“Gestational carrier” sounds a bit wordy, but what it boils down to is a woman who carries a baby for someone (or a couple). Sometimes money changes hands; sometimes it doesn’t. But this can be an alternative for many folks, especially gay men who want to become dads and women who are having difficulty conceiving. 

• Roughly 4,000 births each year are through surrogacy.
• Roughly 2% of all ART cycles involve a gestational carrier.

(Data via the Centers for Disease Control, here; Fertility & Sterility, here; Cato, here.)

‍Egg freezing

In 2009, just 475 women froze their eggs. In 2022, over 29,000 people froze their eggs. This incredible growth has been driven by a few things:

• Women are starting families later than ever. The latest U.S. Census Bureau figures show that, for the first time, the average age of women giving birth is now 30 in the U.S., the highest on record.
• Three-quarters of women ages 25–54 hold down a job today, compared with slightly more than two-thirds a decade ago. This broader focus on personal and professional goals is a primary factor of growth in egg freezing services, with many women prioritizing their careers, further education, or financial stability before starting a family.
• ASRM removed the “experimental” label from egg freezing procedures in 2012, opening the door to a widening use of the procedure for a broader group of women.
• Technological advancements, especially the highly efficient vitrification method, have significantly improved thaw rates, making egg freezing even more viable.

(Data via The Center for American Progress, here; NBC News, here.)

Read our report, State of Egg Freezing: 2024 Trends and Insights

Egg donation

What’s a mom-to-be to do when her doctor says her eggs may not be able to work come conception time? Egg donation is a growing option, with thousands of families turning to it every year.  

• 12% of all IVF cycles in the U.S. involve eggs retrieved from a donor.
• The success of egg donation depends on many factors but is not considered to be related to the age of the recipient.
• One study found 97.1% of egg survival rate was obtained and 59.1% of embryos developed to blastocyst stage. After biopsy and PGS, it was found that 84.2% of blastocysts were euploid and 15.8% were aneuploid. So 9 donor eggs would be expected to yield 4.5 euploid embryos on average. 

‍(Data via the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, here; Molecular Cytogenetics, here; and the Human Reproduction Journal, here.)

Sperm donation

Eggs aren’t the only half of the genetic equation that can come from a friend or a stranger. Donated sperm can be purchased from a sperm bank and used in IUI or IVF.  

• 21% of sperm donors donate to more than one bank.
• 48% of sperm donors say they want to help others.
• 85.7% of sperm donors would be willing to have contact with the child down the line.

‍(Data via the Human Reproduction Journal, here and here.)

Embryo donation

Sometimes it takes a little bit of magic from two parties to help make a baby. The words for this? Embryo donation. Typically donated by people who have frozen their embryos but have decided their own baby-making journey is over, this option results in hundreds of babies each year.  

• Over 2,000 donated embryos are thawed for IVF each year.
• If you use a donated embryo in the U.S., there’s a 40.6% chance per IVF cycle that the fertility treatment will result in a live birth.

‍(Data via the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, here.)

Fertility costs and coverage

Fertility treatments are expensive and, unfortunately, usually not covered by insurance. Most people who use fertility services pay out of pocket, which can amount to well over $15,000, depending on the services received.

Bottom line

Trying to conceive can be a lonely journey, especially when things aren't going as planned. But the numbers paint a clear picture: you're not alone. Millions of people around the world face fertility challenges, and there's a growing community of support, resources, and treatment options available.

While the statistics may seem daunting at times, remember that they represent averages, not individual destinies. Advances in fertility treatments and a deeper understanding of reproductive health offer hope and possibility for those struggling to conceive.

Whether you're just beginning your fertility journey or have been navigating its twists and turns for a while, remember that there is support available, and you don't have to go through it alone. Connect with others, seek expert guidance, and most importantly, hold onto hope. The path to parenthood may be complex, but the destination is filled with immeasurable joy and the profound love of family.