Visit a fertility specialist if you have been trying for a baby for months but can’t conceive. A specialist can offer insights into your fertility problems and help you find an ideal solution. Here are some of the services provided by fertility clinics:
Fertility Testing
Identifying the cause of infertility can help your fertility specialist determine the most appropriate treatment. Here are some of the tests a fertility clinic can conduct:
Semen Analysis
This test aims to determine the viability and health of a man’s sperm. It measures the quantity and quality of a patient’s semen and is conducted over several months.
Testicular Biopsy
This is a test involving the removal of a small part of the testicle for examination. Fertility specialists can perform a testicular biopsy when the semen analysis suggests a patient has abnormal sperm.
Hormone Testing
This blood test helps fertility specialists determine patients’ hormonal levels. A specialist can perform the test if they suspect a hormonal imbalance may be the cause of infertility.
Hysterosalpingogram (HSG)
This is a radiologic procedure used to test for blocks in the fallopian tubes or defects in the uterus. Your specialist can recommend this procedure if they think an issue in the reproductive anatomy may be causing infertility.
Transvaginal Ultrasound
This procedure also tests for abnormalities in the reproductive system. It can help your specialist identify the cause of infertility if it’s anatomical.
Laparoscopy
This is a minimally invasive procedure that involves making small incisions around your navel area. Your specialist can use a viewing device to check your reproductive organs for blockages, endometriosis, or scarring.
Fertility Preservation
This is the process of saving reproductive tissues, eggs, or sperm so you and your partner can have biological children in the future. Fertility preservation can help people with diseases that may affect their fertility. Such illnesses include:
- Endometriosis
- Cancer
- Uterine fibroids
- Lupus
Preservation allows patients to undergo treatment for their illnesses without worrying about their ability to conceive in the future. You can consider fertility preservation if you’ve been exposed to toxic chemicals that may affect your ability to get pregnant in the future.
The preservation can also be ideal if you’re not ready to conceive during your reproductive years because you’re building your career or waiting for the right partner. Fertility preservation options include:
Egg Cryopreservation
This is the process of retrieving and freezing your eggs until you’re ready to conceive.
Sperm Cryopreservation
During this process, your partner or donor provides a sample of their sperm. Your specialist freezes it until a later date.
Embryo Cryopreservation
This process involves freeing your fertilized eggs. Your specialist will remove some eggs from your ovaries, fertilize them with your partner’s or a donor’s sperm, and freeze the resulting embryo until you’re ready to become a parent.
Ovarian Transposition
This procedure involves moving the ovaries and fallopian tubes from areas expected to receive radiation therapy. Some fertility clinics perform this surgery to protect cancer patients’ ability to conceive after chemotherapy.
Fertility Treatment
A fertility clinic can provide treatment after determining the causes of infertility to help you conceive. Here are some treatment options you may find:
Ovulation Induction
This process involves using medication to induce ovulation among women with ovulation dysfunctions like irregular and absent ovulation. Ovulation induction can be beneficial for women with disorders like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), as they inhibit normal ovulation. The process can help you conceive through sexual intercourse or your chosen fertility treatment.
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)
This procedure puts sperm directly in your uterus when ovulating to increase your chances of conceiving. Your specialist can recommend this treatment if you’re using donor sperm or if your partner has minor male factor infertility.
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
This procedure involves combining eggs and sperm outside the body and placing the embryos in a uterus. IVF can help you conceive if all other treatments fail since the embryos are created in a laboratory instead of the body.
Fertility Clinics Can Help You Conceive
Fertility clinics can do everything from identifying causes of infertility to treating infertility. Common tests in these facilities include semen testing and testicular biopsies for men and transvaginal ultrasounds and laparoscopies for women. These clinics offer fertility preservation services to allow you to conceive at a future date and fertility treatments like IUI and IVF to get you on the path to parenthood.