Couples and individuals hoping to have children never dream that it can be difficult to get pregnant. If you’ve been trying for a year and it still doesn’t work, your doctor will diagnose you with infertility.
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Infertility is assessed in several ways. It will likely include a pelvic exam, lab tests, imaging tests, a review of your medical and menstrual history, and certain procedures. For women, the first test is a pelvic exam. During a pelvic exam, you will undress from the waist down and lie on a padded table in the doctor’s office. The doctor will sit near your feet. They will insert an instrument called a speculum into your vagina. This helps open up your vagina so the doctor can see inside. Your doctor will insert two lubricated, gloved fingers into your vagina. On the other hand, they will press gently on the outside of your lower abdomen. This is how your doctor will check the size and shape of your uterus and ovaries, tenderness, or abnormal growth.
Lab tests include checking your basal body temperature. This checks your temperature at rest (it should be a little higher when you’re ovulating). Additional lab tests include a urinalysis, a progesterone (hormone) test, a thyroid function test, a prolactin (hormone) level test, and an ovarian reserve test (to check your supply). your egg level).
Imaging tests may include ultrasound (moving a wand over your stomach to create pictures of your uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes) and uterine tomography (X-testing) X-ray examination of your uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes).
Infertility procedures include hysteroscopy (inserting a thin tube with a camera to examine your uterus) and laparoscopy (a minor surgical procedure in which a doctor inserts a small, thin tube. through your stomach to see your uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes). ). You may not have to have all of these tests and procedures. Some are done based on the results of previous tests and procedures. Some are done in your doctor’s office. Some are done in a lab or hospital.
When performing these assessments, your doctor is looking for the cause of your infertility. Causes may include:
- Endometrial optimism. This is a growth of endometrial tissue on the outside of your uterus. Swelling and scarring from endometriosis can prevent your eggs from reaching your fallopian tubes.
- Poor ovulation. This means you are not producing enough eggs. This also happens with the medical condition known as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). When you don’t produce enough eggs, it can decrease fertility.
- Fallopian tube blockage. A blockage in your fallopian tubes prevents an egg from meeting a sperm.
- Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This is an infection that can lead to infertility. It can cause scar tissue on your reproductive organs. This scar tissue can block your fallopian tubes, preventing the egg and sperm from reaching each other.
- A sexually transmitted disease or infection (STD or STI).Certain STIs increase the risk of infertility due to the swelling and scarring they cause.
- Ages. The older a woman is, the harder it is to get pregnant.
- Low sperm count. If a man has a low sperm count, it means fewer sperm are trying to find their way to the egg.
- cancer treatment methods. Some treatments can delay trying to get pregnant (for men and women). Other cancer drugs can actually stop your periods for years. This makes it almost impossible to get pregnant.
- Can’t explain. Sometimes, doctors can’t determine the reason for your infertility. In some cases, all of your tests are normal.
Infertility treatment depends on the reason for your not getting pregnant. Common treatments include:
- Ovulation medication. Your doctor may prescribe ovarian stimulators. This causes your ovaries to produce more eggs than usual. With more eggs, you have a higher chance of getting pregnant. However, it increases the risk of multiple births. There are also medications to treat polycystic ovary syndrome.
- Surgery. Laparoscopic surgery can help clear your fallopian tubes and remove endometrial tissue growth on the outside of your uterus (endometriosis).
- Hormonal. Certain hormones can enhance low levels of hormones in your body. Another hormone can send your body into a state of pseudo-menopause. This causes your body to stop menstruating. This is especially useful for treating endometriosis. The growth of endometrial tissue increases each time you have your period. When you stop menstruating, your body has time to get rid of the excess growth.
- fertilization. This treatment takes a man’s sperm and prepares it for insertion into a woman’s vagina, cervix, or uterus while she’s ovulating. There are two types. Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is the least expensive form. It can be done in the doctor’s office. Doctors ask you to use an ovulation kit to determine when you ovulate. When you’re ready, your uterus will be fertilized with sperm from your male partner (collected at the office that day or sperm from a sperm bank). There’s a little discomfort. Artificial insemination inserts sperm into a woman’s vagina or cervix.
- In Vitro Fertilisation. This is a much more complicated and expensive treatment. It involves combining an egg and sperm in a laboratory, then transferring it into a woman’s uterus. It takes months of preparation for a woman’s body to prepare for the hormones.
Things to consider
Infertility assessment and treatment can affect you physically, financially, and emotionally.
Physically, there is some discomfort during the gynecological exam and the test. Lab tests involve providing a urine sample or undergoing a simple blood test. There is some mild discomfort associated with the procedure. For example, during a laparoscopy, your doctor will pump a small amount of air into your abdomen. This helps separate your organs so they can get a better view of your uterus and ovaries. After the test, gas makes you feel full. It also causes a bit of discomfort in your shoulders.
Financially, some infertility treatments can be expensive. Check with your insurance company to see what types of tests and treatments are covered. Even if part of it is covered, it can be an additional, off-plan cost.
For most people, infertility testing and treatment can be the most emotionally damaging. Testing and treatment can take months, even a year, or longer. That’s because doctors have to calculate when you ovulate and your menstrual cycle. That only happens once a month. You often have to take time off work for tests and treatment. And there is a certain cost involved, whether or not your insurance covers it. Many people feel emotionally drained by this experience. It’s even harder when friends, family, and co-workers are getting pregnant easily. Therefore, it is important that you talk to your spouse or partner about how to deal with these issues and how you deal with them. Talk to your doctor to find healthy ways to cope.