Female sterility is a term used when a woman cannot become pregnant after trying for at least one year.
About a third of the time, the problem has to do with the woman. In another third, it has to do with the man. The remaining cases have to do with both members of the couple or there is no specific cause.
If a woman has several spontaneous abortions, it can be called infertility.
Causes. Most cases of infertility are caused by ovulation problems. One problem is premature ovarian failure, in which the ovaries stop functioning before natural menopause. Another problem is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), when the ovaries do not release an egg regularly or may not release a healthy egg.