Infertility Specialists

What does infertility mean?

Infertility can refer to a woman’s inability to conceive a child after intentional effort without the interference of contraception. It also refers to a female who cannot carry a pregnancy to full-term or it can reference the biological inability of a male partner to contribute to conception.

What can cause infertility?

There are many different factors that can cause infertility issues. The best way to uncover the exact cause is to have an examination and/or testing to find out what might be causing any infertility issues. Some risk factors that may contribute to unsuccessful pregnancy can include:

• Age - a woman's fertility starts to drop after she is about 32 years old.
• Smoking - smoking significantly increases the risk of infertility in both men and women.
• Alcohol consumption - a woman's pregnancy can be seriously affected by any amount of alcohol consumption.
• Weight – excessive weight combined with a sedentary lifestyle are often found to be the principal causes of female infertility.
• Eating disorders - women who become seriously underweight as a result of an eating disorder may have fertility problems.
• Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) - Some STIs, such as chlamydia, have been shown to cause infertility.
• Mental stress - studies indicate that female ovulation and sperm production may be affected by mental stress.

What treatment options are available?

Treatment will depend on what may be causing the infertility or a partner’s infertility. There are a number of choices available in order to treat infertility issues. Discussing these choices with a healthcare professional is the best way to decide which treatment plan might be right for a particular situation. Some options include fertility drugs, Intrauterine insemination, In vitro fertilization (IVF). In rare cases, if there are blocked fallopian tubes, endometriosis, fibroids, or ovarian cysts, surgery can be done to clear the way for the patient to conceive.