Prevalence of female subfertility in German gynecological practices

The aim of this study was to calculate the number of women with a subfertility diagnosis in gynecological practices in Germany between 2006 and 2010 based on the data from a large epidemiological database.

All calculations are based on a representative, epidemiological database called "disease analyzer". Women with a confirmed diagnosis of female infertility (ICD 10: N97) or/and with documentation of procreative management (ICD 10: Z31) were identified. They were summarized under the term "subfertility".

In total, data on 1,975,253 female patients with between 2006 and 2010 were included. Estimates for patients with "subfertility" compared to number of women lived in Germany (aged 18-45) was 2.44% (CI: 2.43-2.45) in 2006, 2.52% (CI: 2.51-2.53) in 2007, 2.56% (CI: 2.55-2.57) in 2008, 2.68% (CI: 2.67-2.69) in 2009 and 2.69% (CI: 2.68-2.70) in 2010. The difference was significant (p < 0.01). In total, between 2006 and 2010 an estimated 8.91% of all German women had been diagnosed "subfertile".

When calculated for 5 years almost 1 out of 10 women aged 18 to 45 was counseled, investigated or treated by her gynecologist for "subfertility". This study provides reliable, representative data on a major healthcare issue in Germany.