The fundamental aspect of dairying is successful reproduction. Impaired fertility represents a major financial loss for the dairy producer and is a prominent reason for involuntary culling. As selection for increased production was realized, deterioration in female fertility was witnessed, and, appropriately, selection indices expanded to include fertility traits, like calving interval, days open, calving to first service, first service to conception and 56d non return rate. The inclusion of fertility traits worldwide has had an impact in reversing the negative trend with regards to calving interval, days open and calving to first service, but little or no gain has been achieved for traits related to conception, such as first service to conception and 56d non-return rate. Fertility traits typically have low heritabilities, and relevant traits closer to the true reproductive biology are difficult to measure, making progress in female fertility challenging and the search for novel phenotypes appealing. Many alternative fertility indicator traits have emerged with the evolution of on- and off-farm technologies, such as milk progesterone and fatty acid profile, energy balance, and body weight and condition. The rise of genomic selection and genotyping breeding candidates becoming more commonplace may be particularly valuable for the improvement of fertility. The identification of novel lethal recessive genes affecting the viability of the pregnancy could aid in future matings. Haplotypes affecting fertility, including AH1 in Ayrshires, have already been described, and genomics may further uncover underlying genetic components influencing fertility for more effective selection. Reproductive technologies have alleviated some problems but perhaps only temporarily concealed the issue at hand. Genetic improvement of fertility of dairy cattle in the future will require more relevant phenotypes to be evaluated that more closely describe fertility, and those, which promote the improvement of fertility without intensive intervention from the producer.