When Should You Start Considering Fertility Treatment Options?
Thinking about Fertility Treatment Options?
Approximately 12 percent of U.S. couples experience infertility, or the inability to conceive within one year of trying to conceive. Achieving pregnancy is a complex process involving multiple factors like the production of viable sperm and healthy ova (eggs), the ability of sperm to reach and fertilize an ovum and the access of the fertilized egg to a woman's fallopian tubes. In addition, a woman's hormone consistency must be normal and conducive to allowing the pregnancy to go to full term. Dozens of other conditions exist that could also lead to infertility. In fact, it is not easy to get pregnant!
One Year Later and Still Not Pregnant?
Common reasons for seeking fertility treatment options include:
- Azoospermia (absence of sperm cells) or oligospermia (lack of sperm cells)
- Ovulation disorders (affects nearly one in four women)
- Blocked fallopian tubes (usually attributed to endometriosis or pelvic inflammatory disease)
- Undetected congenital anomalies (abnormal uterine structure)
- Uterine fibroids (due to aging or repeated miscarriages)
Women and men who have failed to conceive after one year should visit a doctor specializing in infertility problems for a complete blood work-up and physical examination. Minor surgery or medications may be all that is needed to correct an infertility issue. For women over 35, six months is the recommended time limit to wait until seeking professional assistance.
In Vitro Fertilization as One of Many Fertility Treatment Options
When men are found to have low sperm count or a woman's fallopian tubes cannot support a fertilized egg, a fertility doctor may suggest IVF, or in vitro fertilization, as a way to conceive. An IVF procedure involves surgical removal of eggs from the ovary, which are then combined with sperm in a Petri dish. About two days later, the fertilized eggs are placed in the uterus. This effectively bypasses the fallopian tubes. Other types of fertility treatment options include fertility drugs, intrauterine insemination, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, donor embryos and eggs, gamete intrafallopian transfer and gestational surrogacy.
If you are having trouble conceiving, New York Reproductive Wellness provides a wide range of testing and fertility treatment services that can help you achieve a successful pregnancy. To schedule an appointment, please call 516-612-8466.
