Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse.
In a couple, there are different reasons for infertility, with decreased egg quality and reserve being recognised as the most important factors for determining the success of pregnancy. It is impaired naturally by aging and in some health conditions, like premature ovarian failure and cancer therapy, prematurelly.
The main problem of all women with impaired egg reserve and quality is drastically decreased possibility, naturally or with medical assistence, to have a child from her own eggs or impossibility to get pregnant at all.
So far, there is no effective and practical strategy available for delaying ovarian aging and improving egg quality. Currently, ovarian infertility is being adressed mainly at fertility clinics with medically assisted reproduction (MAR) procedures. In a search for a solution, couples are willing to suffer recurrent, highly invasive treatments, with lots of health complications possible, including death in 1:50.000 cases.
The key growth drivers for incresed ovarian infertility are delayed parenthood, increased prevalence of obesity and cultural shifts. In the developed world, strong trends towards later parenthood exist, which will further affect infertility rates, if not adressed at the origin of the problem.