Infertility factors at the Groote Schuur Hospital Fertility Clinic

Nine hundred and four patients who visited the Fertility Clinic at Groote Schuur Hospital during 1986 were classified according to infertility factors. In 36% of all couples a male factor was present, while 57% had a tubal, 29% an ovulatory, 7% a cervical immunological and 6% a uterine factor. Four per cent of all patients had endometriosis, and 2.4% had unexplained infertility. In 57% of cases only one factor was present, but in the rest between 2 and 5 factors contributed to the infertility of the couple. The study showed that in our population the most common infertility factors are in the male and in women with tubal problems, and resources should be channelled accordingly.