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Fertility Problems and Treatmentspregnancy and fertility treatments

For some people, parenting starts when you find out you are expecting.  But, for many, it begins with expensive blood tests, sperm tests, treatments, surgery, insurance battles and other hazards of infertility.

Treatments for fertility problems are expensive and not covered by most insurance companies.  You will have to decide how much you can spend on trying to have your own child.

You should remember that conception is much less likely and miscarriage more likely after 35 years of age.  There is also a higher risk of birth defects past this age.

Your doctor will try to figure out why conception hasn't worked up till now.  Sometimes, it isn't possible to figure it out.  Your fallopian tubes could be blocked or damaged thus preventing the sperm from fertilizing the egg.  Tubal surgery can repair mild blockages.  If blockages are severe, in vitro fertilization may be the best treatment.

Women may have problems ovulating and be given a pill to stimulate the ovaries into releasing eggs and improving the odds of getting pregnant.  This is usually the first treatment, because it is safe and often effective.

Some drugs, such as clomiphene, are used because they cost less than hormone shots and has a reduced risk of multiple births.

Hormone shots are given daily starting at the beginning of the menstrual cycle.  Side effects include bloating and nausea.  And, shots result in higher cases of multiple births.

Insemination is often tried rather than using hormone injections.

If insemination doesn't work, in vitro fertilization is the next step.  In vitro fertilization is the recommended treatment for women 35 and over, because time is wasted on the slower methods which may not work anyway.  A fertilized egg, or sometimes eggs, are placed into the uterus through the cervix.

Laparoscopic surgery is often used to repair tissue growth from endometriosis.  In severe cases, in vitro fertilization may be the best option, but it doesn't work as well in women with endometriosis.

If you are considering adopting a child, you might want to adopt instead of trying in vitro fertilization, because the costs are similar.

About 33% of in vitro cases result in a pregnancy.  Chances go down the with the advancement in age of the patient.

Gamete or zygote intrafallopian transfer is sometimes used instead of in vitro fertilization.  Gamete intrafallopian transfer is done by transferring eggs and sperm into a fallopian tube through a small incision in the abdomen.  Zygote intrafallopian transfer is the in vitro fertilization of an egg and moving it into a fallopian tube through an abdominal incision.  This is not a common practice in the U.S. due to it being a surgery.  It is also more expensive than in vitro.

If the man has trouble with fertility, it could be due to a low sperm count, slow sperm mobility, the quality of the movement or the sperm's size or shape. 

Just as with women, men's fertility and sperm quality goes down around 35 years of age.  The sperm's mobility may also be reduced at this age.

Immune system problems can cause a man's body to treat his sperm as a foreign object and he creates antibodies to destroy the sperm.

Chemotherapy and radiation to treat cancer can  lead to fertility problems depending on the location of the treatment.

Sexually transmitted diseases can cause damage to the reproductive tract.

Your doctor will run tests to figure out the best possible treatment and solution.