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Multilingual Demographic Dictionary, second unified edition, English volume

Infecundity

Multilingual Demographic Dictionary, second unified edition, English vol.
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Infecundity  (INFECUNDITY n.)


The capacity of a man, a woman or a couple to produce a live child is called fecundity 1. The lack of that capacity is called infecundity 2 or sterility 2; inability to conceive 3 and inability to procreate 10★ are the main, but not the single causes of sterility. Used alone, sterility usually carries the connotation of irreversibility, but occasionally temporary inability to conceive 4★ and temporary sterility 5 are distinguished from permanent inability to conceive 6★ and permanent sterility 7. Among women we distinguish primary sterility 8 where the woman has never been able to give birth, and secondary sterility 9, which arises after one or more children have been born.

  • 1. Fecundity, n. - fecund, adj. An alternative meaning of the term implies the ability to conceive, rather than to produce a live child. The terms sub-fecundity and sub-fecund mean either that the capacity to produce a live child is below normal, or that the probability of conception is low.
  • 2. Sterility, n. - sterile, adj. Infecundity, n. - infecund, adj.

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