Issues: Infertility

Infertility

Infertility is being unable to conceive a child by natural means.

In the past, like today, there were couples who were unable to have children and so they never became parents. Other couples often had more than ten children as contraception was not possible. The lucky ones survived into adulthood. Sometimes people died in pain, sometimes they died peacefully. There was nothing you could do about these things.

In Biblical times, in the Old Testament, Jacob had twelve sons. Hannah was childless (The Bible, 1 Samuel chapter 1 verses 1 - 20) but desperate to have a child. Whether you had children was considered to be in the hands of God.

Today, the situation is very different. Science and medicine have moved to a position where you can control when and if you have children with contraceptives and infertile couples can often be helped to have babies.