If you are experiencing infertility, you are not alone. Many people wonder how to treat infertility, especially if they’ve received the diagnosis. You aren’t alone. One in eight couples experience trouble getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term. Infertility is defined as being unable to achieve pregnancy after one year if a woman is under 35 years of age, and after six months if a woman is over 35 years of age. While published statistics tend to focus on the woman, it is important to note that infertility diagnoses are split evenly between men and women and there is an abundance of resources and support that are available to you.
It takes the average couple at least six months to become pregnant. Before seeing a specialist, it is recommended that couples try on their own first. For couples where the woman is under 35, it is recommended that you try for one year. In couples where the woman is over 35, it is recommended that you try for six months.
While these are general guidelines, there are situations where immediate consultation is warranted. If you have irregular or no menstrual cycle, are experiencing heavy, painful periods, or abdominal pain you should schedule an appointment immediately. If you are approaching your mid-30’s and want to have several children a fertility consultation will allow a specialist to project your chances of conceiving at an advanced age based on when you would be trying to conceive subsequent children.
FERTILITY TREATMENTS
Diagnosis comes before treatment. Stay tuned for more educational content on diagnoses and visit our Diagnostic page to understand what different testing entails.
Our physicians work with you to understand your goals and develop a plan to meet them. Infertility treatments can take on many forms, and while most people think “IVF” when someone says, “infertility treatments,” there are many varying degrees of how to treat infertility.
From the basic treatments to the more advanced treatments, there are several different options with several varying protocols that can be tailored to your specific situation to help you grow your family. Treatment paths can also include the use of 3rd party reproduction options or those looking to preserve their future fertility for social or medical reasons.
BASIC INFERTILITY TREATMENTS
Timed intercourse is the simplest answer to how to treat infertility that a couple can receive. With a limited timeframe for fertilization to occur, it is important to have intercourse at the appropriate time. Monitoring occurs to track approximately when you will ovulate, so you have a greater potential for fertilization.
If a woman’s menstrual cycle is irregular, she may not be ovulating on a consistent basis or even at all. Ovulatory disorders are one of the most common causes of infertility and account for infertility in 25% of couples. If a woman is not ovulating, we can use a combination of ovulation induction (fertility) medications to help grow follicles and time the release of the egg so that intercourse can be planned to increase the chances of fertilization.
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), formerly called artificial insemination, is accomplished by placing highly concentrated sperm directly into the uterus to increase the chance of conception by increasing the number of sperm that reach the fallopian tubes. An IUI is the first step in fertility treatment for many couples. It is a less costly and more conservative fertility treatment option that works for a lot of couples. This form of treatment is commonly used for couples with unexplained infertility issues, ovulation disorders, mild endometriosis, and mild male infertility issues with sperm or erectile dysfunction.
ADVANCED INFERTILITY TREATMENTS
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is an assisted reproductive technology in which eggs are retrieved from a woman and inseminated with sperm from a man in a laboratory to create embryos. After closely monitoring embryo development, one or multiple embryos are transferred to the uterus of a woman. Since the first successful procedure in 1978, over 5 million babies have been born worldwide through IVF treatments. In vitro fertilization is the most common fertility treatment utilized by patients today.
Fertility preservation is an option individuals or couples can choose for social reasons (waiting to have children) or when medical treatments or procedures may harm one’s fertility. Fertility preservation options include egg freezing, sperm freezing, or embryo freezing. Women and men may consider fertility preservation for medical reasons for one of the following circumstances:
- Cancer Diagnosis – For women and men who have been diagnosed with cancer, egg freezing, sperm freezing, or embryo freezing are options that can protect one’s eggs and sperm prior to chemotherapy, radiation or surgery, all of which can be toxic to both eggs and sperm.
- Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) – For women who have been diagnosed with premature ovarian insufficiency, early menopause, or have a genetic predisposition to early menopause, fertility preservation is another option to preserve viable eggs or embryos for future use.
- Autoimmune Disease – Women with chronic autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus may choose fertility preservation due to medications that they need to use, that could potentially harm the ovaries and cause infertility.
AT KINDBODY, CONCEPTION IS OUR LIFE
At Kindbody, we are here to make your dreams of parenthood a reality. We work with you to show you your chances of success utilizing different treatment plans based on your specific medical situation. During your consultation, we will discuss your goals for family building, your medical history, and review needed fertility testing to determine the best treatment path for you.
