Common Questions About Infertility Treatments
There are many reasons women cannot become pregnant. Sometimes, women do not produce or release eggs. In other cases, the eggs cannot become fertilized. The fallopian tubes may be blocked, or sometimes, the man’s sperm is unable to fertilize a woman’s egg.
Doctors who specialize in infertility are known as reproductive endocrinologists. In general, an infertility evaluation should be considered for these conditions.
- a woman under 35 has not become pregnant after 12 months of intercourse without birth control
- a woman more than 35 has not become pregnant after six months of intercourse without birth control
- a woman has repeated miscarriages and is unable to carry a pregnancy to term
Will I become pregnant?
While no fertility team can promise you will become pregnant, we are proud that our success rates are excellent for couples seeking infertility treatments.
How do you know whether the problem is with the woman’s egg or with the man’s sperm?
Once you become our patient, we will perform tests to help us understand why you are not able to become pregnant. We will check both partners’ general health and perform special tests to check hormone levels and to evaluate the reproductive organs for abnormalities.
What can you do to help us conceive?
By addressing general health problems, many women are able to become pregnant. Once we have located any specific problems, we can provide additional options. They include pills or shots of hormones to help the woman produce more eggs. These hormonal treatments can often help a woman conceive or we may concentrate the sperm and perform intrauterine insemination (IUI) for male factors, cervical mucous problems, or unexplained infertility. We perform surgery for infertility caused by pelvic adhesions, tubal disease, fibroids, endometriosis, and other pelvic factors.
Can you tell me more about in vitro fertilization (IVF)? What is egg retrieval?
If you are a candidate for IVF, you would undergo a series of injections to prepare you to have your eggs surgically removed. This step of removing the eggs is known as egg retrieval, or oocyte retrieval. When the eggs have been removed, they are combined with sperm cells in a highly controlled setting, a process known as in vitro fertilization. After five to six days, the embryos are transferred to the woman’s uterus. ECU does not perform IVF on site, but we do monitor patients for IVF clinics in the Raleigh area.
What is ICSI?
ICSI stands for intracytoplasmic sperm injection. The technique inserts a single sperm cell directly into an egg. It is recommended if a man’s sperm count is very low, if it has poor motility (movement toward the egg), or if it is poorly formed.
I (or my partner) will need chemotherapy for cancer. Can we still have children?
While we can’t guarantee you will be able to conceive, there are several options that will increase your chances of becoming pregnant and having children. We work with IVF programs to preserve eggs, sperm, and embryos prior to chemotherapy by freezing (cryopreservation).
Can I have a baby after 40?
Many women become pregnant after 40, both naturally and with assisted fertility techniques. Sometimes it is necessary to use donor eggs for a successful fertility treatment. These decisions should be made in close consultation with your doctor.
How much will infertility treatments cost? Are they covered by insurance?
Infertility treatments are often covered by insurance, although IVF generally is not. During your consultation, we will discuss the possibly costs for our treatments.