Final answer:
Infertility affects around 30 percent of couples due to male factors and the same percentage due to female factors, regardless of previous successful pregnancies. Infertility is impacted by a variety of factors including lifestyle choices, economic conditions, and healthcare access, making it a complex issue that cannot be generalized.
Step-by-step explanation:
The assertion that infertility is high among couples, especially middle- and upper-class couples, in Western countries requires a nuanced understanding. Infertility can be defined as the inability to conceive a child or carry a child to birth. According to research, about 30 percent of infertility in couples is due to female factors, and another 30 percent is due to male factors. In certain cases, infertility can affect a person even if they have previously had a biological child, which debunks any myth that experiencing fertility before ensures future fertility.
In many Western societies, there are indeed challenges that contribute to infertility issues, such as high-demand careers, lifestyle choices, and the delay in starting families for professional or personal reasons. However, the prevalence and reasons for infertility can vary widely and should not be generalized across all socioeconomic classes without concrete statistical evidence. Additionally, similar causes of male and female infertility include diseases that can cause reproductive tube scarring and hormonal imbalances.
It is important to address that infertility can also occur due to social and economic challenges such as poor healthcare and inadequate nutrition, which are more prevalent in developing countries with high birth rates. Despite the fact that individuals in developed nations might have better access to healthcare, including treatments for infertility, the occurrence and causes of infertility are complex and multifactorial.