If you’ve been trying for a few months to conceive, and you’re not having any luck, then you might be wondering if you should think about visiting a fertility specialist or clinic.
While every case differs from every other case of infertility, there are a few circumstances when the answer to that question is probably yes. The following list of questions should help you do make an informed choice about whether you need a fertility specialist.
Are You Off All Contraception?
In order to conceive, you need to be off all forms of contraception. In some instances, certain types of long term contraception may have some residual effect in certain people. If you’ve been off all types of contraception or a year, however, all residual effects should be gone.
Are You Having Sex At the Right Time?
You wouldn’t think so with all the pregnant teens out there these days, but there are actually very few days in any month when women can conceive.
The ‘window’ period for conception is usually around the middle of your cycle (if your cycle is regular) and lasts for a maximum of five days. If you’re not having sex during that time of your cycle, then your chances of conceiving are slim to none.
Either you can use a ovulation forecasting method like the cervical mucus or basal body temperature method to predict when you will be ovulating, or you can plan sex for every two days for a while to ensure that you hit the ‘sweet spot’ in terms of conception timing.
How Old Are You?
Women aged 30 and under should conceive within about six months of starting to actively try, while women over 30 can expect to wait up to a year before they get pregnant. That time frame increases proportionately the older you get.
If you’re still within those time frames according to your age, then you probably don’t need to worry too much about a fertility specialist too much.
Have You Spoken To Your Doctor?
Before you visit a fertility clinic, which can often be expensive, you may want to speak to your regular doctor or gynecologist. In some cases, an existing disease or condition, or even chronic medication, may be interfering with contraception. Your regular doctors will be able to advise you about those issues, and resolve them if they are simple medical matters.
What to Expect If You Do Need to Visit a Fertility Specialist?
If you’ve answered all of these questions, and you still think there’s reason to visit a fertility clinic, then you’re probably wondering what to expect.
The first part of the process will always be fact finding – you and your partner will be tested for a variety of conditions, you’ll be asked about your medical and reproductive health histories, and a few general lifestyle questions.
Based on your tests, and your responses, the fertility specialist will diagnose the possible causes of your fertility problems, and propose treatment.
In nearly every case, a fertility clinic will start with the cheapest and least invasive treatment methods first and only escalate the treatment to more costly or unpleasant options if they don’t work. Whatever happens though, you should know that any good fertility clinic worth its salt will do everything medically possible to help you conceive.
Tamara Spelling writes for IVF Travel and Fertility Clinic Red Rock Fertility locasted in Las Vegas, Nevada.