Lecturer in Health Care Ethics, School of Nursing, Dublin City University, Ireland Dr. O’Mathúna reports no consultant, stockholder, speaker’s bureau, research, or other financial relationships with companies having ties to this field of study. Many people eagerly anticipate having children of their own. When the decision is made that the time is right, excitement rises. But as months pass without pregnancy, concerns quickly develop. Fears that one might not be fertile trigger all sorts of emotional reactions. An apparent inability to have a child can impact one’s self-esteem and relationships. Infertility can be an enormously difficult condition to accept. Yet one in every six couples in the United States has difficulty conceiving a child; among couples in their late 30s, difficulties occur in one of every three couples.1 In some areas of Africa, the infertility rate is estimated to be between 30-50%.2