Infertility options can open the door to parenthood

Many women feel very alone in their struggles with infertility. In reality, the statistics on the number of women experiencing challenges with conception and full term pregnancy are rising. Key Statistics from the National Survey of Family Growth (2010) found an estimated 7 million women with infertility challenges between the ages of 15-44. This figure represents 11 percent of the population. The good news is that the treatments for infertility have kept pace as well. High success rates with IVF and alternate options such as IUI open the door to parenthood wider for millions of women.

Evaluation is a critical factor for improved success rates. Many couples can uncover the mystery of infertility and become better informed about their options for overcoming their individual evaluation findings. A consultation is a good place to start. It allows you to meet the caregivers, understand financial programs, and learn more about next steps. Women and men find the root cause of infertility in a fertility evaluation. There are many causes of infertility that a timely evaluation help pinpoint.

Fertility treatment options are effective and vary based on the individual. However, advancing maternal age greatly diminishes the effectiveness of all available treatment options. A fertility evaluation is critical to providing good information for the selection of optimal therapy. The advancements in fertility treatments enable many couples to grow their family.

When should you seek help? It may be time to schedule a fertility evaluation if you:

…are under 35 years of age and unable to get pregnant after one year of regular, unprotected intercourse.

…are over 35 years of age and unable to get pregnant after 6 months of regular, unprotected intercourse.

…have a history of two or more miscarriages.

…have endometriosis or blockage of one or both fallopian tubes.

…ovulate irregularly (or not at all) and haven’t responded to previous drug treatment.

…have a known risk factor such as history of pelvic inflammatory disease, a DES mother (a mother who took diethylstilbestrol, a synthetic form of estrogen, during pregnancy), irregular periods or no periods, etc.

…have a male partner with a semen analysis showing a low sperm count, poor motility (movement), or poor morphology (structure). We have semen analysis testing kits available.

…are considering assisted reproductive technologies, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF).

…are a same sex couple.

…are scheduled to undergo radiation or chemotherapy treatment.

Dr. Singleton is a Daniel Island resident. Her office is located in Mt. Pleasant at 1280 Hospital Drive. For more information, visit http://www.fertilitycharleston.com.