It's estimated that one in every ten couples who want a child cannot have one normally. Thousands go every year to fertility clinics, which have achieved some startling success stories.
BBC Science Correspondent James Wilkinson examines the progress that has been made over the past ten years in helping childless couples. The most dramatic advance has been the test-tube babies of last year, but major developments are being made with other techniques, like microsurgery and the use of drugs.
Gynaecologists, scientists and parents talk about the problem of infertility - and the joy of overcoming it.
A Radio News production