Is Fertility Treatment Right for You?

It can dramatically improve your chances

What Factors Affect Your Fertility?

Women — Age (especially over 40), underweight or overweight, past pelvic procedures, endometriosis, tubal disease, past IUD use, hormone imbalance, multiple miscarriages or abortions

Men — Urinary tract infections, excessive heat to the genitals (from high fevers, varicose veins, overuse of hot tubs and saunas), hernia repair, mumps after puberty, athletic injuries, history of undescended testicles, prostatitis

Both — Smoking, alcohol, caffeine, drugs including anabolic steroids, depression, stress, environmental toxins, sexually transmitted diseases, mother’s use of the hormone DES

About 80 percent of would-be parents succeed in getting pregnant within a year. If you’re not among them, there are steps you can take to nudge Mother Nature along—including consulting with a fertility specialist. While this route isn’t for everyone, it can dramatically improve your chances.

First, there are at-home options. An over-the-counter ovulation predictor kit can help you predict your timing, a major factor in conception, says Wendy Schillings, M.D., reproductive endocrinologist and fertility specialist at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. You also can address lifestyle factors that affect fertility (see at right).

If you still haven’t conceived in a year—six months if you’re over 35—seek medical help. “First, we look at your medical and sexual history, environment, lifestyle and general health to determine what can be overcome,” Schillings says. Then comes a thorough fertility workup, followed by a discussion of options including medications, surgery and technologies like in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Women under age 40 and those with blocked fallopian tubes have the best chance of being helped, Schillings says. For men who can’t improve their sperm count and quality through lifestyle change, low sperm count isn’t the obstacle it once was. In today’s high-tech fer-tility lab, Schillings says, “we’re able to inject a single sperm into an egg.”

Costs can range from several hundred dollars for ovulation-boosting drugs to around $10,000 for an IVF cycle, and insurance coverage varies. “Every couple is different in what they’re willing to invest physically, emotionally and financially,” Schillings says. “We have financial counselors to help you. And we continually evaluate your best chances for success and present you with all of your options, including adoption.”

Want to Know More about fertility treatment at Lehigh Valley Hospital? Call 610-402-CARE.

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