Unexplained Infertility

Unexplained infertility refers to the inability to conceive within 12 months of unprotected intercourse, not attributable to any known causes of infertility such as ovulatory dysfunction, reduced sperm quality, tubal pathology or other causes. Treatment for unexplained infertility can be done predominantly through intrauterine insemination with or without hyperstimulation or in vitro fertilisation. Given that these treatments are utilised to improve likelihood of conception in relation to the couple’s chances of spontaneous pregnancy, rather than targeting any specific pathology, a comparison should be drawn between these treatments and their natural conception prognosis. Utilisation of prognostic models can allow differentiation between those likely to benefit from immediate treatment from such individuals who have reasonable natural conception prognosis and thereby can delay treatment for 6 months in hopes of spontaneous pregnancy. This comparison is valuable given the aforementioned treatments have implications for both the woman and her future child, and the cost of such procedures also compromises care accessibility.