Infertility in North America is a rising concern.  In 2005, the number of women age 15-44 with an impaired ability to have children reached 6.1 million and the number of married couples who were infertile was 2.1 million.

Rates of infertility are predicted to double over the next 20 years, and age plays a significant role in this forecast. By the time a woman is 35, her conception rate will have declined by 50 percent; miscarriage and genetic abnormality rates also increases with age. Nevertheless, Canadian women continue to postpone childbearing.  In 2006, Canadian women aged 30 to 34 had more babies than women aged 25 to 29 for the first time in history.

Besides age, there are many other factors at work.  Males can also be a major factor in infertile couples, since issues with sperm are the most common cause of infertility. Sperm is about 200 times more likely than an egg to be adversely affected by diet and nutrition, and chemical exposure due to their size.

Lifestyle and environment affect fertility,  as do nutrition and mineral status, social drug use, pharmaceutical drug use, exposure to radiation, organic solvents and organochoride compounds. Evaluation of mineral status, hormone levels, and nutritional intake are all areas that should be examined prior to conception to give the best chance of success.