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Dr. Chrissie: Infertility
Babies! It seems as though they’re everywhere and that a different friend or relative calls you every week to announce her pregnancy. Maybe you’re shopping on Twilite Moon for someone’s registry or looking for something for one of your own children. Regardless of how you found this blog, if you’re “trying” and it hasn’t happened yet, you’re not alone. Getting pregnant sometimes isn’t as easy as they warned you about in 8th grade health class.
The majority of people trying to conceive will do so in the first six months of trying, but up to 1 in 6 couples will have difficulty conceiving (meaning not achieving a pregnancy in one year of unprotected intercourse). And while about 85% of couples will conceive within one year, the likelihood of getting pregnant in an individual month is only about 20-30%.
Most women under 35, who don’t have an existing medical condition which would impede conception, are generally advised to try getting pregnant “the old fashioned way” for about a year before seeing a doctor. But if you’re over 35 years old, you might consider seeing a doctor after about 6 months of trying (as fertility, unfortunately, declines with age). Other reasons to see a doctor earlier include if you or your partner has a history of a medical problem that could have affected fertility (cancer, previous surgery, genetic disorder, etc.), if you’re not having regular periods (meaning that you’re likely not ovulating), or if you’ve had two or more miscarriages.
Most general Ob/Gyns will be able to answer your questions about the optimal time during your menstrual cycle to get pregnant. They can also answer questions about and perform a basic fertility evaluation. This usually consists of some basic testing, including an x-ray test to see if your Fallopian tubes are open, some hormonal testing for your ovaries, and checking your partner’s sperm count.
If you do end up needing fertility treatments, your Ob/Gyn will usually send you to see a specialist in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (‘REI’). These are doctors who have spent an additional three years in training (after becoming an Ob/Gyn) and who specialize in the management of fertility and reproductive disorders. In addition to heterosexual couples with infertility, same-sex couples or single women will often seek to become parents through the help of an REI physician as well.
Depending on what the initial testing shows, your doctor will be able to talk with you about why you haven’t conceived yet and recommend possible treatment options. Sometimes the initial testing doesn’t show that anything is wrong, in which case you may be diagnosed with “unexplained infertility.” Although it’s unsatisfying to not know the cause, there are plenty of treatment options for couples with this diagnosis as well.
Millions of women have achieved pregnancies and families through the help of specialists and the use of fertility medications, inseminations, assisted reproductive technologies (such as in vitro fertilization) or adoption. If you need to embark on this process, just remember that there is a lot of support available (check out www.resolve.org). Regardless of the path you take, once you have your family, the journey of how you got there won’t be so important.
By Christine Skiadas, M.D.
The content is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Tags: pre-pregnancy, trying to conceive, ttc
