Background and purpose: Infertility is a major socio-medical challenge in Iran especially in rural areas. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of infertility and related factors in rural and urban areas.

Materials and methods: In 2012, a cross-sectional descriptive study was performed in Babol. The samples (546 urban women and 535 rural women) were selected by cluster sampling aged 20-40 yeras. A structured questionnaire was administered to collect the data.

Results: Urban subjects included 50.5% of the subjects. According to self-reports the prevalence of infertility was 15.5% in investigated population. The prevalence of infertility rates in rural and urban areas were 15% and 16.1%, respectively. Significant associations were observed between age at marriage, occupation, and educational level and being resident in city or village (P< 0.05)

Conclusion: This study showed that a high number of women have experienced infertility at some point in their lives. Also, the prevalence of infertility was found to be high among women living in urban areas.