Well if you weren't sure, the World Health Organisation has now come up with the latest definition - apparently infertility is a disease of the reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected intercourse.
Yes, I know it doesn't sound particularly interesting, but actually it may be very helpful. The idea that treating infertility is a lifestyle choice rather than a medical one is often used by people who don't agree with IVF or with NHS-funded treatment. Now we know that no less an authority that the WHO has declared that this argument doesn't hold water, as it defines infertility as a "disease".
It is also helpful to know that anyone who has been trying for a baby for more than a year without success should be taken seriously - all too often couples are fobbed off by doctors who tell them that they need to keep trying for a bit longer before it is worth doing any tests or considering any treatment. We now know that the WHO considers a year to be quite long enough.
The definition is part of a glossary of terms used in reproductive medicine that the WHO has produced - find out more here
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