4 possible modern-day factors behind infertility

Woman sitting cross-legged and looking down at a pregnancy test she is holding (Credit: Getty Images)

In the U.S., approximately 12.7% of reproductive age women seek infertility treatment every year. But that statistic excludes men with infertility issues, which is just one of many reasons actual rates are hard to ascertain.

“There is an idea that rates of infertility are on the rise,” Dr. Erica Johnstone, president of the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and an associate professor at the University of Utah, tells Fortune. But, she adds, “It's not actually clear if that's true.”