Most experts define infertility as not being able to get pregnant after at least one year of trying. Women who are able to get pregnant but then have repeat miscarriages are also said to be infertile.
Pregnancy is the result of a complex chain of events. In order to get pregnant:
- A woman must release an egg from one of her ovaries
- The egg must go through a fallopian tube toward the uterus (womb).
- A man must join with (fertilize) the egg along the way.
- The fertilized egg must attach to the inside of the uterus (implantation).
Infertility can result from problems that interfere with any of these steps.
It is important to remember that the maximum you can expect per cycle of treatment would be 15—20% with IUI, 45—55% with IVF and ICSI, 60— 70% with oocyte donation, embryo donation and surrogacy. Howler, the good statistic is that the cumulative pregnancy rate with 3 cycles of the selected treatment would be in the range of 65—75% .
About 12% of women (7.3 million) in the United States aged 15-44 had difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a baby to term in 2002, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
No, infertility is not always a woman's problem. In about one-third of cases, infertility is due to the woman (female factors). In another third of cases, infertility is due to the man (male factors). The remaining cases are caused by a mixture of male and female factors or by unknown factors.
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You would be advised the following before the IVF cycle: Ovarian reserve testing. To determine the quantity and quality of your eggs, your doctor might test the concentration of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol (estrogen) and antimullerian hormone in your blood during the first few days of your menstrual cycle. Test results, often used together with an ultrasound of your ovaries, can help predict how your ovaries will respond to fertility medication.
Semen analysis. If not done as part of your initial fertility evaluation, your doctor will conduct a semen analysis shortly before the start of an IVF treatment cycle.
Infectious disease screening. You and your partner will both be screened for infectious diseases, including HIV, Hepatitis B & C, VDRL for syphilis.
Mock embryo transfer. Your doctor might conduct a mock embryo transfer to determine the depth of your uterine cavity and the technique most likel to successfully place the embryos into your uterus.
Uterine cavity Your doctor will examine your uterine cavity before you start IVF. This might involve a transvaginalultrasound to create images of your uterine cavity induding a color Doppler and sometimes 3D. Or it might include a hyteroscopy—In which a thin, lighted telescope (hysteroscope) is inserted through your vagina and cervix into your uterus.
