When trying to conceive and after a diagnosis of infertility, it may seem easier to go straight for in vitro fertilization (IVF) to quickly get the job done. But the process of IVF can be a lot to take in when diving right in.
With infertility affecting 6.7 million women of childbearing age in the U.S. alone, advanced reproductive technologies are pretty game changing. When it comes down to it, IVF is the most common and most effective type of assisted reproductive technology, according to the CDC. But that doesn’t mean it always comes easy. IVF actually involves a lot of commitment, persistence, and strength.
IVF is the most effective treatment for infertility. But, there are several things you can do to promote a healthy, natural pregnancy without IVF treatment, even after a diagnosis of infertility. Here are a few things you should try and consider first and talk to your doctor about before taking on IVF.
1. Tracking ovulation- If you’re trying to get pregnant naturally, tracking your ovulation should be one of the first things you do.
How long is your menstrual cycle? Is your cycle between 28 and 35 days? Or is it so irregular that it can be hard to predict what day Auntie Flo will come calling?
Understanding and tracking your menstrual cycle is one of the key ways you can figure out when you are ovulating and releasing an egg that can be fertilized with your husband’s or partner’s sperm. This information will help you determine your fertile window, which is the optimal period when pregnancy can occur, usually six days before ovulation. Women who have a 28-day cycle, on average, ovulate on day 14, but ovulation can occur between days 11 and 21. Generally, ovulation occurs 14 days before the onset of your next menstrual cycle.
If you are attempting pregnancy, tracking your cycle is one of the first steps a doctor will recommend for taking charge of the conception process. Luckily, there are several apps and products you can purchase to help you figure out exactly when you’re ovulating. Click here for more information on how to track your ovulation.
2. Timing intercourse- Knowing your signs of ovulation and timing sexual intercourse a few days before and after ovulation will also help in your desire to get pregnant fast. Keep track of the intervals between Day 1 of your menstrual cycle (the first day of bleeding) and Day 1 of your next menstrual cycle. If you have a regular 28-day cycle, you can take the 28 and subtract 14, which gives you the approximate day of ovulation (Day 14). If your menstrual cycle is not a regular 28-day cycle, you may want to track ovulation in other ways such as taking your basal body temperature (BBT) or through an ovulation predictor kit (OPK).
The fertile window usually lasts around three to five days. Once you have an idea of the day you are ovulating, try having sexual intercourse every other day around that day. For example, if you think you ovulate on Day 14, have sex on Days 12, 14 and 16.
However, you may be doing everything right when you are trying to conceive and require help from a fertility specialist to get pregnant. If you are under 35 and have been trying to conceive for a year with no pregnancy, or over 35 and have been trying to get pregnant for six months with no pregnancy, contact an HRC fertility doctor for a complete evaluation to discover whether you need fertility treatment to help.
3. Nutrition– Nutrition affects women and men’s health in many ways and has now been demonstrated to affect our chances at pregnancy. Particularly, the types of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins that we eat or drink can each have an impact on how regularly women ovulate (the release of mature eggs from the ovary). In addition, lifestyle choices that we make each day, such as exercising, drinking caffeine or alcohol, or smoking cigarettes also impact the likelihood of getting pregnant and also the developing fetus (the growing baby inside).
Dr. John Norian of HRC Fertility Rancho Cucamonga suggests that one with fertility issues needs to consider the following when trying to conceive: Increase slow carbohydrates, eat less animal protein and more plant-based protein, some fat is good, but avoid trans-fats, and take your folic acid, the B vitamins and iron.
The multitude of factors that go into having a menstrual period and to getting pregnant is remarkable. Modifying one’s lifestyle to optimize the likelihood of conception and also to decrease the chance of pregnancy related complications is an essential step in the process of starting a family. HRC physicians continually strive to improve fertility treatment and pregnancy outcomes in a patient centered fashion.
4. Acupuncture– Today many infertility doctors are recommending acupuncture to their patients undergoing infertility treatments. Acupuncture, an ancient Chinese medical treatment, involves the insertion of fine, yet painless needles, into the body to stimulate specific areas known as energy points. According to ancient Chinese wisdom, these energy points are believed to regulate the physical, spiritual, mental and emotional aspects of the body and are effective in the treatment of many health conditions. Acupuncture stimulates and moves Qi (pronounced “Chee”), the body’s life energy, so it flows easily and unobstructed throughout the body. It is believed that when Qi’s flow is obstructed in the body, a variety of illnesses, such as infertility, may arise. Acupuncture promotes natural healing by improving circulation, reducing stress and restoring balance to the body.
A more western view of how acupuncture aids infertility treatment may be that it has an effect on brain chemistry by increasing the production of endorphins which play a role in regulating the menstrual cycle. It may also increase blood flow to the uterus and ovaries thus improving their function.
A trained acupuncturist will treat an infertility patient by placing the needles in the energy points linked to the reproductive organs.
There were a handful of studies done in 2002 that showed evidence that acupuncture performed in conjunction with IVF improved pregnancy rates. For instance, a study, published in the Journal of Fertility and Sterility, found higher rates of pregnancy amongst women who received acupuncture along with IVF treatments than women who just received IVF alone.
5. IUI or Intrauterine Insemination– There are several fertility treatment options available out there for those having issues starting a family on their own. One of the more simple fertility treatments we offer at HRC Fertility is IUI or Intrauterine Insemination.
The IUI procedure itself involves transferring semen that has been washed and concentrated directly into the uterus via a thin catheter. IUI may be done with or without fertility drugs. Because it’s less invasive than the IVF process, IUI is typically looked at as a first option for those with fertility issues. IUI is also usually less expensive than IVF.
“You may be surprised but for humans only a small percentage of the sperm reaches the egg,” Dr. Mickey Coffler of HRC Fertility Oceanside said in a recent video segment on IUI.
“When the sperm count is low, it may be insufficient to reach the egg. With intrauterine insemination or IUI, all the good quality sperm in the ejaculate is concentrated and placed directly into a woman’s uterus. This increases the number of sperm that can reach the egg.”
He continued, “In my office, the sperm is placed through a process of density gradient centrifugation, as it allows the recovery of the best sperm. Following this process, the specimen is examined to determine how many moving sperm cells are available for insemination.”
“Best pregnancy rates are with counts greater than 10 million moving sperm cells. With counts less than three to 5 million, pregnancy rates will be very low.” In these cases, in vitro fertilization or IVF with intracytoplasmic sperm injection is a much better option. You can read more about IUI and exactly how it works at HRC, here.
6. IVF- In many situations in which a couple is experiencing infertility, HRC fertility doctors can treat the problem with first-line fertility treatments such as ovulation induction or intrauterine insemination (IUI). In other cases, the condition causing infertility is treatable with surgery for the male or the female.
For women in whom first-line fertility treatments have been unsuccessful or who have other situations or conditions, the treatment of choice may be in vitro fertilization (IVF). IVF was originally developed for women with tubal factor infertility (non-functioning fallopian tubes); however, because of major advances in in vitro fertilization, IVF is not always the treatment of last resort. In fact, it is often the first-line treatment.
Some common female infertility indications that may lead women to chooseIVF treatment include:
- fallopian tube damage
- endometriosis
- unexplained infertility
- age-related infertility
- being at risk of genetic disease such as cystic fibrosis (IVF with pre-implantation genetic diagnosis — PGD may be indicated
- infertility or recurrent pregnancy loss related to chromosomal abnormalities — IVF with PGD or pre-implantation genetic screening may be indicated
IVF is often the treatment of choice for couples in who are experiencing male factor infertility, particularly with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), a procedure in which one sperm is injected directly into the egg. If you would like to learn whether IVF may be the best choice for you, contact us today.
For more on fertility options other than IVF at HRC Fertility, please call 866-HRC-4IVF or click here to schedule a consultation.