When a couple gets married and is financially secure (which is easier said than done nowadays with the economy being what it is) they start thinking about having children. Sure, there are some couples who make it a point to never have children, but there are others who dream about finally getting to be parents.

However, sometimes circumstances beyond the couple's control can lead to infertility. It seems unfair to those couples who think that they have infertility problems – after all, many people are becoming accidentally pregnant each day and are not nearly in as good of a financial situation that the couple who are having trouble conceiving have.

Before the husband immediately places the blame on the wife for infertility problems, it is very important to mention that he, and not she, might be the cause. How is this possible? Well, first of all, a man might be able to maintain an erection, but that does not mean he is able to actually ejaculate properly. After all, that is how the sperm makes its way to the uterus in the first place.

Obviously, a man does not have a microscope with him to figure out his sperm count on his own, so he should be the first one checked for possible infertility. Why? Because the tests that are done to determine a man's sperm problems are far less invasive or time consuming as opposed the tests that determine conception problems in women.

A couple is considered to have conception problems if, after a year of actively trying to conceive, they are unable to become pregnant. However, this can also apply to women who actually do conceive, but have miscarriages. If either of these scenarios apply to the couple, it is time to go see a doctor who is a specialist in fertility treatment.

The first thing that the doctor will do is schedule a consultation with the couple. During this consultation, the couple should be prepared to answer a myriad of questions about their attempts to conceive. Sometimes, there are not physical factors that actually are affecting the chances of conception. Instead, it might be lifestyle factors.

For example, if one or both parties are frequently stressed out, that extreme stress can affect the endocrine system, which plays a significant role in conception. When the endocrine system is affected, sperm levels can drop, and women can have infrequent menstrual cycles.

However, thanks to the advances in technology, couples who just a couple of decades ago could never have children are now getting that chance. The first option is artificial insemination. If the man's sperm is not strong enough to make it to the uterus, then this procedure will increase the chances of it doing so.

Or, if the problem involves the woman's egg not being able to attach itself to the uterus, then that means there is the option of having a surrogate carry the fertilized egg of the couple. So, if you are a couple having trouble conceiving, it is important to not give up hope!