There are several options available to couples to assist them with conception when getting pregnant has eluded them. Talk to your personal physician about specialists near you who can provide you with the fertility treatment that suits your individual needs.

Ovulation Induction

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Ovarian Induction, or OI, is used for women whose periods are irregular or need enhanced progesterone production. Clomiphene Citrate (Clomid or Serophene) is used in this treatment, binding to estrogen receptor sites in the woman’s brain – making the body think there is not enough estrogen being produced. The hypothalamus then releases gonadotrohon-releasing hormone, causing the pituitary gland to release more LH and FSH. The woman’s body then causes the follicle to begin maturing an egg.

About 80 percent of women using clomiphene become successfully pregnant in the first three months of treatment. This rate significantly drops after the first three months. Each month the woman will take about five days of oral clomiphene, beginning with a 50 mg dose, often between days 3-7 or 4-8. Some women will require treatment as late as days 5-9. Side effects may include headaches, nausea, weight gain, bloating, hot flashes and breast tenderness. Treatment should not continue longer than six months. Be sure to talk to your doctor about potential side effects and dangers of ovulation induction before beginning treatment

Intrauterine Insemination

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Also known as artificial insemination, IUI assists natural fertilization by bringing the sperm closer to the waiting egg. It is often used when sperm quality is low, there are low numbers of anti-sperm antibodies, cervical mucus is hostile or follicle-stimulating hormone levels are high. After a woman ovulates, washed sperm in injected into the uterus with a catheter through the cervix. Drugs may be used to begin ovulation, with the procedure occurring within six hours of ovulation.

Success rates are about 10 percent each cycle if used without drugs. If IUI is used with an HCG injection, success rates move up to 15 percent. Be sure your doctor allows you at least thirty minutes time to lay down following the procedure. Discomfort is minimal with this procedure.

In Vitro Fertilization

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IFV is used with couples who have tried other fertilization methods unsuccessfully. Vitro means “in glass” – where your egg is fertilized in a petri dish. Multiple follicles are cultivated so several eggs can be harvested through surgical extraction. The eggs are fertilized in the lab and placed back inside the uterus. The woman receives hormone treatment during this time to make her body ready to receive an embryo.

Side effects can include irritability, hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms. IVF can take a toll on both you and your family, as it takes time and can bring about lots of emotions. Costs can reach over $55,000 for successful treatment – but to some, having a baby is priceless.

Egg retrieval is usually carried out using a vaginal ultrasound probe that guides a needle to aspirate each follicle. Women are usually given a sedative for this procedure. Some clinics may use a laparoscopic procedure that will require general anesthetic. The hope is that eggs retrieved are of high quality, no matter what the count. On the night of the procedure, the woman will begin taking progesterone by suppository or injection.

Following egg retrieval, the male’s sperm is provided – usually in the clinic. It is washed and placed with the eggs in a petri dish or test tube in the lab, which is incubated at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. They are examined 18 hours later to determine if fertilization has occurred. Within 48 hours, fertilized eggs will have begun cell division and they will be ready to transfer back into the female.

Another form of fertilization is intracytoplasmic sperm injection, or ICSI. One sperm is injected into an egg with a fine glass needle. This procedure is used if the sperm has not been capable of penetrating the egg naturally.

If you are at high risk for genetic disorders, your fertilized eggs will be graded and genetic disorder testing is completed before implantation. Transfer will occur from 48 hours to five days after fertilization. The embryo is placed in a small catheter and is inserted into the cervix and the uterus. It embryo is deposited at the top of your uterus. It is important to relax as much as you can during this stage. Stress can cause your uterus to contract, which will lower your chances for implantation. You will not know if pregnancy is achieved for about two weeks – a long and excruciating wait for most!

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