Hidden Fertility Barriers: Why Healthy Young Women Struggle to Conceive

• Many healthy young women face infertility, defined as inability to conceive after 12 months (or 6 months for over 35) of unprotected intercourse.
• Infertility affects about one in six couples worldwide, challenging the misconception that visible health guarantees fertility.
• Hidden factors include hormonal disorders like PCOS (affecting 6-13% of reproductive-aged women), endometriosis, blocked fallopian tubes, and uterine abnormalities.
• Declining egg quality, compromised sperm quality, and unexplained infertility (subtler anomalies) can also hinder conception.
• Immune-related factors like antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APLA) can interfere with implantation without obvious symptoms.

Why It Matters: Visible health does not guarantee fertility; hidden factors often prevent conception in young women.