If you are making frequent attempts to get pregnant by having unprotected or regular sex for a year but have not been successful in doing so, this could mean that you are not fertile. The same goes for women who are over the age of thirty five and have been trying to get pregnant for 6 months. If you are one of these, maybe the time has come for you to go see a fertility doctor, like Professor Ng Soon-Chye. Fertility specialists are trained in the field that concerns your problem and they can advise you on the certain steps you can take to achieve pregnancy, provide you with the necessary information regarding fertility, and also tend to your specific concerns on fertility.
Fitting the Criteria
If you, together with your partner, have experienced these following difficulties, you should see a fertility specialist about your obstacles regarding fertility.
If the woman is at an age younger than thirty five and one year has passed of trying to conceive through regular and unprotected intercourse yet has not been able to.
If the woman is at an age between thirty five and thirty seven and 6 months have passed of trying to conceive through regular and unprotected intercourse yet she has not been able to.
If the woman is at an age over thirty seven. The women in this age bracket need not wait for any specified time due to the fact that waiting could reduce their chances of being able to conceive.
Getting Started
Going to your family doctor is a great way to start things up. You can open up topics about fertility and ask for any recommendations on which fertility specialists to go to who can tend to your case. That is of course after you have discussed your problems with the doctor because he would need to check if you have any other conditions. Talking about this topic with your doctor could be difficult. For some women, opening the topic during their Pap tests which they do on a routine is an appropriate moment to discuss the topic. Once you get that done, your doctor can now refer you to fertility specialists otherwise known as an REI (reproductive endocrinologist) or an OB/GYN (obstetrician/gynecologist).
Maximize Your Appointment
Most people become shy when faced with a fertility specialist but there is no reason to be. Specialists like Professor Ng Soon-Chye are experts, and you came to them seeking for help. They are more than happy to help you through your journey so it is important that you plan out the questions you want to ask. Here are some that could help you.
What are the tests that could be performed so that I could know if I am really infertile? How much could those cost me?
How much time could it take to know about the problem?
What are some of the treatment options once the results of the tests arrive?
Can my insurance cover the treatments you mentioned and the testing services?
Is emotional counseling services offered in your clinic? Or do you know of any counselors that can deal with fertility issues?
Having an Idea about Available Treatments
After going through the necessary diagnostic tests and confirmation arrives that you indeed have fertility problems, the doctor can suggest medical interventions that can assist in you getting pregnant.
Ovulation Induction
In this treatment option, medications are given to imitate hormones in your body that can induce ovulation and the process of egg development. Medications such as Clomiphene citrate, Follicle-stimulating hormone and Gonadotropin-releasing hormone are prescribed to do so.
Assisted Reproductive Technology
This treatment involves methods such as artificial insemination, fertility medication, surrogacy and in vitro fertilization as means to successfully conceive.
Surgical Methods
If the infertility comes from a problem that needs surgical intervention to be corrected then this method is performed. For example, in a condition such as endometriosis, your fertility specialist may first recommend that the condition be fixed by surgery in order to know what steps to take next.
Surrogacy and Donation
As popularly known, surrogacy is when another woman caries the pregnancy instead of the biological mother. On the other hand, Egg Donation happens when a donor provides the eggs for another woman so that the recipient can conceive.
