Infertility Evaluation & Treatment

An infertility evaluation includes exams and tests to try to find the reason why you and your partner have not gotten pregnant. If a cause is found, treatment may be possible. In many cases, infertility can be successfully treated even if no cause is found.

Infertility is defined as the inability to get pregnant after 1 year of having regular sexual intercourse without the use of birth control.
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Experts recommend an infertility evaluation if you have not gotten pregnant after 1 year of having regular sexual intercourse without using birth control. If you are older than 35, an evaluation is recommended after 6 months of trying. If you are older than 40, talk with your obstetrician–gynecologist (ob-gyn) now about an evaluation.
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Fertility Impacters

Age: For healthy couples in their 20s or early 30s, the chance that a woman will become pregnant is about 25 to 30 percent in any single menstrual cycle. This percentage starts to decline in a woman’s early 30s. It declines more rapidly after age 37. By age 40, a woman’s chance of getting pregnant drops to less than 10 percent per menstrual cycle. A man’s fertility also declines with age, but not as predictably.

Lifestyle: Women who are underweight, overweight, or exercise too much may have a harder time getting pregnant. In women, drinking alcohol at moderate or heavy levels and smoking may reduce fertility. In men, smoking, heavy drinking, and using marijuana can reduce sperm count and movement.

Health Conditions: In women, several health problems can affect women’s fertility, including:

- Problems with reproductive organs or hormones
- Scarring or blockages of the fallopian tubes (from past sexually transmitted infections [STIs] or endometriosis)
- Problems with the thyroid gland or pituitary gland

In men, infertility can be caused when the tubes that carry sperm from the testicles are blocked.
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Evaluation

Infertility evaluation can be done in several ways to ensure we have a full picture of what is going on with your body. Basic testing typically includes a combination of laboratory and imaging tests to include:

Labs: Progesterone levels, thyroid function, levels of prolactin, ovarian reserve
Imaging: ultrasound, sonohysterography, hysterosalpingography, hysteroscopy, laparoscopy
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Treatment

We encourage you to explore all available fertility treatment options to determine which helps you achieve your goal.

Natural Cycle Monitoring
We monitor your cycle using blood tests and vaginal ultrasound to determine the best time for intercourse.

Ovulation induction with Fertility Medications
If you have an irregular menstrual cycle or ovulate infrequently, ovulation induction combined with fertility medications can stimulate egg production and regulate ovulation.

Fertility Medications
Oral and injectable medications are used to stimulate ovulation. Fertility drugs may be used alone or in combination with artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization (IVF). Our trained nurses teach you how to use these drugs effectively.

Artificial Insemination/Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)
The sperm are separated from the rest of the semen, then inserted directly into your uterus using a small catheter. This process is called intrauterine insemination (IUI). It has been found to improve fertility when low sperm count is a concern, or when unexplained infertility is present, even if the sperm count is normal.