Find the treatment you need to overcome female infertility
Struggling with female infertility can be discouraging. Seeing one negative pregnancy test after another makes you want to know why you’re struggling to conceive. You also start to wonder about your options to treat female fertility issues. Midwest Fertility Specialists (MFS) focuses on diagnosing and treating infertility, and our Indiana fertility doctors can help you get started on the path to pregnancy.
The guidelines for when to seek fertility treatment
Each patient is different, so it’s important to consider your age and symptoms when determining when to see a fertility specialist. For example, if you have a history of irregular or painful periods, our clinic recommends scheduling a fertility workup as soon as you want to start trying to conceive.
If you don’t have any known female infertility, we tell our patients to follow the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s guidelines for when to visit a fertility doctor.
- Women under 35 should visit a fertility doctor after one year of trying to conceive.
- Women 35 and over should make this appointment after six months.
We also recommend making an appointment with a fertility doctor if you know you want to wait to have children. Your doctor can discuss your options for fertility preservation, including freezing your eggs or embryos now for future use.
Exploring the causes of female fertility issues
Human reproduction is a complex process, so there are many causes of female infertility. For women, age has a strong effect on fertility. Because a woman is born with all the eggs she will ever have, her egg quality and quantity decrease with age. This can make it more difficult for women in their 30s or 40s to conceive. In addition to age, some other common causes of female fertility issues can include the following.
- Problems with ovulation account for about 25% of infertility cases. Disorders like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can cause women to ovulate infrequently or not at all.
- Tubal infertility from past illnesses or surgeries can prevent the sperm from reaching the egg in the fallopian tubes. It can also keep the fertilized egg from reaching the uterus.
- Endometriosis causes uterine tissue to grow outside of the uterus, which can lead to scarring and interfere with embryo implantation.
Some women may receive a diagnosis of unexplained infertility. It means diagnostic testing did not identify a cause of infertility. Even without an exact cause, our doctors can often recommend treatment to help patients with this diagnosis conceive.
Diagnostic testing determines the causes of female infertility before beginning treatment
When you first visit one of our Indiana fertility doctors, you’ll discuss your health and fertility history, including any previous fertility treatments or pregnancies. Your doctor may perform a physical exam and a transvaginal ultrasound, as well as order bloodwork. He or she may also order other diagnostic tests. At the same time, your doctor will order a semen analysis for your partner to determine whether male infertility is part of the picture.
After completing the testing process, your doctor will meet with you to discuss your results and options. Depending on your situation, you may only need fertility medications or intrauterine insemination (IUI). In other cases, your doctor may recommend more advanced options like in vitro fertilization (IVF) or third party reproduction. Our Indiana fertility doctors always strive to recommend the treatment plan that’s the least invasive and offers the greatest likelihood of success.
If you’re ready to learn more about treatment options for female infertility, contact us. We’ll help you get started on your journey to welcome a healthy baby.
