If you’re trying to conceive but are facing difficulties with fertility, you may wish to speak with a fertility specialist. They can provide answers to your questions about treatment options, success rates, and more.
The chance of getting pregnant is about 1 in 4 during the menstrual cycle if you menstruate and are in your 20s or early 30s. But the chances of conception naturally decrease with age.
If you’re experiencing difficulty getting pregnant, it’s important to know some basics about different infertility treatments so you can make the most out of your appointment with a fertility specialist.
A specialist can give you the best advice based on your circumstances.
If you haven’t been able to conceive after a year of trying, you may be infertile. But this doesn’t mean that you won’t ever be able to become pregnant.
Medical advances make it highly likely that you’ll eventually be able to get (or stay) pregnant with intervention, depending on your particular circumstances and if you have received an infertility diagnosis.
Medications are usually the first-line treatment. These can help increase the likelihood of conception and pregnancy by stimulating ovulation or helping treat erectile dysfunction (ED).
Doctors can prescribe medications to increase the chances of staying pregnant once you become pregnant, if you have had previous miscarriages.
A fertility specialist may also recommend lifestyle changes for you and a partner (if you have one), such as eating a healthy diet, limiting alcohol consumption, or avoiding smoking.
You and a partner should be in good health before conception. This helps increase the chances of pregnancy, and parental health directly affects the baby’s health.
While fertility diminishes with age, sometimes it’s related to health conditions, such as thyroid conditions, that may develop as you get older.
As a general rule of thumb, you should avoid alcohol, smoking, and the consumption of other potentially harmful substances when you start trying to get pregnant. Others may recommend avoidance for up to 1 year beforehand.
Certain medications can also interfere with fertility. If you or a partner takes medications, check whether they’re compatible with trying to conceive (TTC).
A fertility specialist will make specific recommendations to help you get into the best health possible at your medical examination.
It’s impossible to know without a medical evaluation what may be causing infertility.
A fertility specialist can determine whether male or female infertility (or both) is keeping you from getting pregnant.
Treatments for those assigned male at birth (AMAB)
Low sperm count or ED can impact fertility in those AMAB. In some cases, ED medications may help.
Low sperm count or quality doesn’t mean a pregnancy can’t happen, but it may make it more difficult or it may take longer.
Treatments for those assigned female at birth (AFAB)
Those AFAB experiencing infertility have multiple options, such as oral or injectable medications, to assist with ovulation, which is a common culprit of female infertility.
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is another option that involves fertilizing sperm with an egg in a laboratory. This process, however, can be costly.
A cheaper alternative to IVF is called INVOcell (IVC). A 2016 study comparing IVF and IVC found that “both IVF and IVC
MAR involves more advanced fertility treatments like IVF and intrauterine insemination (IUI).
Third-party-assisted MAR is another option where someone looking to conceive might opt to use a donated egg, embryo, or sperm. Or you might opt to have a surrogate carry a baby for you.
The decision to use a donation can be emotional, and a fertility specialist can help you weigh the pros and cons of this potential solution.
A fertility specialist may recommend surgery if they find issues with your reproductive organs. Surgery is sometimes used to repair torn or blocked fallopian tubes.
Fertility surgeries for those AFAB may also help treat:
- scars in the reproductive tract
- uterine fibroids
- endometriosis
- polyps
In those AMAB, surgical options may be used to repair testicular varicose veins, called varicoceles, that can sometimes contribute to infertility.
Surgery is also sometimes used to help open tubes that transfer sperm to the penis.
While most medical procedures carry some degree of risk, technology has evolved so that many fertility treatments are now generally seen as safe to the parents and baby.
Scientists are trying to determine if fertility treatments pose any threats to a baby’s health once they’re born. Potential concerns include:
- low birth weight
- premature birth
- congenital heart defects
One 2019 study indicates that babies born after a frozen embryo transfer may have a
However, this applied only to frozen embryo transfers, not to babies conceived from IVF or other treatments.
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) estimates that the risk of birth defects from IVF is 2% to 3% in the general population but is about
Ask your doctor or specialist as many questions as needed to ensure you are aware of and comfortable with any potential risks before starting a treatment.
MAR treatments may produce multiple pregnancies at once (having twins or more). As science and technology evolve, such cases are on the decline.
From 2007 to 2008, multiple births from IVF occurred in an estimated 23.8% of cases. From 2021 to 2022, this rate decreased to 8.4%.
Doctors can reduce the chance of having multiple babies by limiting the number of embryos transferred to the uterus at one time.
According to the ASRM, between 85% and 90% of infertility cases are treatable. But aside from age and health, the treatability and success rate also depend on the treatment you select.
In 2022, IVF had a single birth success rate of 96.7%. To estimate the chance of having a live birth with IVF if you’re between the ages of 20 and 50, try using the
IUI has a success rate as high as
The success rate of embryo donation is
A fertility specialist can help you better estimate your chances of success based on different treatments.
There’s no straightforward answer — it varies.
To help you choose the best treatment options possible, your doctor or a specialist will review your health history and look for any potential reproductive problems in you and your partner.
Your doctor may have you try ovulation-stimulating medications before MAR, depending on the outcomes of their review.
Even if you try MAR, it can take multiple tries before pregnancy occurs. These procedures occur monthly for the highest success rate, as a female ovulates only once in a 28-day period on average.
Opting for fertility treatments is no easy task, nor is it the most affordable option, but a specialist can help you determine the right course for the most successful outcome possible.
For those trying to conceive a baby but are facing difficulty with fertility, speaking with a fertility specialist about your treatment options may help. Up to 90% of infertility is treatable.
While some treatments may be costly, stressful, and have risks or complications, it’s still worth talking with a specialist about the best course of action for you.
