If you are thinking about treatments
for fertility
There are many types of fertility
treatments that can help women become pregnant. Talk to your healthcare
provider to find out if one of them is right for you.
Treatment
for fertility can cause complications, such as getting pregnant with twins or
more babies, having a preterm birth, and having a baby with birth defects.
If you need
fertility treatment, there are ways to help you get pregnant with just one
baby. This may help reduce the risk of pregnancy complications.
Things like
smoking and weight can affect your fertility. Making certain changes in your
life can help you get pregnant without fertility treatment.
What is fertility treatment?
Many women need special medical treatment
to help them become pregnant. This type of treatment is called fertility
treatment or infertility treatments.
If you have
been trying to get pregnant for 3 or 4 months, keep trying. It may take longer,
even longer than you imagined. You may want to think about fertility treatment
if:
You are
under the age of 35 and have been trying to get pregnant for at least a year.
You are over
35 and have been trying to get pregnant for at least 6 months.
Talk to your
healthcare provider if you think you may need treatment for infertility.
How can you
find out if you need fertility treatment?
If you think you and your partner may need
treatment to help you get pregnant, you can do the following:
Talk to your
healthcare professional. You can see your prenatal care professional, such as
an obstetrician or midwife, who cares for pregnant women. Or you may see an
infertility specialist (also called reproductive endocrinologist). This is a
doctor who specializes in helping women become pregnant.
Tell your
healthcare provider about your family health history. This is a record of the
health problems and treatments that you, your partner and all the relatives of
both families have had. Do not forget to tell your provider if you have been
pregnant before and how many children you have had.
Make changes
in your life that can help you get pregnant without treatment. For example,
things like smoking, being overweight or underweight, and taking certain
medications can affect your fertility and make it harder to get pregnant. Even
using a jacuzzi can affect fertility! You may be able to make changes in your
life without infertility treatment that can improve your chances of getting
pregnant.
Keep track of your periods to find out
when to ovulate. Ovulation is when the ovaries release an egg into the
fallopian tubes. The egg then passes through the tubes into the uterus. If you
have sex and the egg is fertilized by sperm, you are pregnant. To find out when
you ovulate, note the date each month begins and how long it lasts. Or use the
on-site ovulation calculator. If you know when to ovulate, it will help you
determine the best times of the month to have sex with your partner to try to
get pregnant.
Your health
care provider can do medical tests for you and your partner to find out if they
need treatment. For example, the professional can:
Recommend
that you analyze your partner's sperm to see if it is normal. That's called
semen analysis. The health professional will be able to tell you where to get
tested.
Do some tests to check for problems in the
fallopian tubes or uterus. If your tubes are blocked or there are problems with
your uterus, you may find it difficult to get pregnant. You may be able to get
treatment to resolve those problems.
After these
tests, you, your partner and your health care provider can decide on fertility
treatment.
Lomid® or
Serophene®). This medicine comes in tablet form. It is the most common drug
used to help women ovulate. You may have side effects from the medicine, such
as feeling sick to your stomach, mood swings, hot flashes or chest pain.
Gonadotropins.
This medicine is given with injections. Side effects include feeling bloated or
having pain in the lower abdomen.
If you are being treated with controlled
ovarian hyperstimulation, have sex a few days before and the day you ovulate.
The more sex you have during those days, the more likely you are to get
pregnant. Your provider may recommend that, in conjunction with controlled
ovarian hyperstimulation.
If you are being treated with controlled
ovarian hyperstimulation, have sex a few days before and the day you ovulate.
The more sex you have during those days, the more likely you are to get
pregnant. Your provider may recommend that, in conjunction with controlled
ovarian hyperstimulation.
What is in vitro fertilization?
In vitro
fertilization (IVF) is a type of fertility treatment called Assisted
Reproduction Technology (ART). That means all kinds of infertility treatment in
which the egg and sperm are treated in a laboratory.
In vitro
fertilization is the most common type of assisted reproductive technology. In
it, an egg and sperm combine in a laboratory to create an embryo (fertilized
egg), which is then introduced to you in the uterus. You may need IVF if you:
Your
fallopian tubes are damaged and can not be repaired with surgery.
He has
endometriosis. It happens when the tissue of the uterus grows somewhere outside
the uterus.
You have
premature ovarian failure. That happens when you stop ovulating and have the
menstrual period before age 35.
Your partner has infertility
problems.
March of
Dimes recommends for most women under in vitro fertilization that an embryo be
introduced into the uterus. This is known as a single embryo transfer (SET).
For women who have had certain health disorders, such as chemotherapy to treat
cancer, the March of Dimes supports the transfer of two embryos. This is known
as a double embryo transfer (DET, for its acronym in English). If your
specialist recommends in vitro fertilization, ask how many embryos are
transferred to get the best results from your treatment.
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