Inflammatory disorders caused by microbial infection, tissue injury, and excessive mobilization of body reserves are prevalent in dairy cows postpartum and cause long-term impairment on fertility. Cows affected by inflammatory disorders postpartum have reduced fertilization of oocytes, reduced survival of zygotes to the morula stage, impaired elongation of preimplantation conceptus, reduced secretion of interferon-tau during the period of maternal recognition of pregnancy, altered transcriptome of conceptus cells, and greater incidence of embryonic and fetal losses. Consequently, the odds of pregnancy per breeding and calving per breeding are reduced by approximately 30 and 42%, respectively. Reduced oocyte competence is a likely reason for the carryover effects of inflammatory disorders on reproduction. Biology of follicular cells and oocytes are affected by inflammation, which might result in reduced developmental competence of oocytes ovulated during the breeding period. Nonetheless, the fact that fertility of lactating cows used as recipients of viable embryos is also affected by postpartum disorders support the idea that altered uterine environment mediates, at least partly, the subfertility of cows that develop inflammatory disorders postpartum. Moreover, negative consequences on fertility seem to go beyond the first breeding postpartum. Cows with clinical diseases in the first 3 wk postpartum had a 19% reduction in pregnancy rate up to 305 DIM, impaired pregnancy per artificial insemination (AI) in breeding performed up to 150 DIM, reduced calving per AI in breeding performed up to 200 DIM, and greater fetal losses in pregnancies established up to 305 DIM. Thus, the negative consequences of postpartum disorders on reproduction might last up to 10 mo after diagnosis and treatment of the problem. Control of inflammation postpartum using drugs or nutraceuticals seem to alleviate the negative effects of postpartum disorders on reproduction but further research is needed to establish firm recommendations. It is increasingly evident that management for optimal fertility of lactating cows starts long before breeding, and requires special attention to management of transition cows.