N97 vs Z98.5

N97 (Female infertility) compared with Z98.5 (Sterilization status), from the official CMS tabular data. Do not report these codes together: the official tabular list marks them Excludes1.

Can these codes be reported together?

No — do not report together. Z98.5 carries an Excludes1 note covering N97: “female infertility (N97.-)”

Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Side by side

	N97Female infertility	Z98.5Sterilization status
Billing status	Non-billable header Report instead: N97.0, N97.1, N97.2, N97.8, N97.9	Non-billable header Report instead: Z98.51, Z98.52
Classification	N00-N99 — Diseases of the Genitourinary System (N00-N99)	Z00-Z99 — Factors Influencing Health Status and Contact with Health Services (Z00-Z99)
Definition	Female infertility is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (N97).	Sterilization status is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (Z98.5).
Includes	inability to achieve a pregnancy sterility, female NOS	—

Edit this comparison Check a whole claim

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources