When Should a Woman Decide to Have an Artificial Insemination Procedure?
When a woman meets the medical definition of infertility, i.e., the inability to conceive after one year of having unprotected sex, they might consider artificial insemination as a viable way to become pregnant. Artificial insemination (AI) is an umbrella term describing several assisted reproductive technologies involving placement of sperm into the female reproductive tract using specialized tools and protocols. Intracervical insemination and intrauterine insemination are the two most commonly implemented types of ARTs. Sperm used to complete most ARTs are washed before they are introduced into the cervix. Washing improves sperm viability by removing dead, sluggish sperm, prostaglandins and white blood cells that may interfere with fertilization.
How Long Should You Wait Before Choosing Artificial Insemination?
Doctors say women should not worry about their inability to conceive until they have tried a full year to get pregnant. Of course, many women become anxious after six, seven or eight months of trying to get pregnant and want to consult a reproductive specialist for testing, especially when they know nothing is wrong with their partner. Some conditions warrant an examination and/or consultation with a fertility doctor before waiting a year to conceive. For example, women who have irregular periods will experience irregular ovulation, one of the most common reasons for infertility. Dietary changes, increasing physical activity and taking medications may restore regularity to menstruation cycles. Overweight women unable to get pregnant who also have acne, infrequent or missing periods, excessive hair growth, depression and sleep apnea may be suffering polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS. Affecting up to 10 percent of women with infertility issues, PCOS causes development of small cysts within or on the ovaries that block ovulation. A laparoscopy is sometimes necessary to remove cysts that do not vanish on their own.
Making the Decision to Undergo Artificial Insemination
If you have been dealing with fertility issues for some time, please call New York Reproductive Wellness today at (516) 612-8466 to schedule a consultation appointment with our doctor. We can help you determine whether artificial insemination is right for you or if other fertility options may improve your ability to conceive.
