Life

How To Know When You Need Fertility Treatment

by Jill Di Donato

If you've been trying to conceive and have not become pregnant, you're probably feeling confused and frustrated, to say the least. You may even be wondering whether or not you need fertility treatments. But knowing when you need fertility treatment is based on a couple of factors. The good news is that medical advances have made it possible for a woman to get pregnant with just one baby from fertility treatment. So there are a lot of options.

March of Dimes recommended that you seek fertility treatment if you are younger than 35 and have been trying to get pregnant for at least a year (meaning you've been having regular unprotected sex during that time.) Additionally, if you're 35 or older and have been trying to get pregnant for at least six months you should seek treatment to help you conceive. Baby Center added that if you're thinking about seeking fertility treatment, you should also examine lifestyle issues like your overall health and wellness, and how much stress you have in your life.

If you need fertility treatment, Parents recommended you visit a reproductive endocrinologist, which is a doctor who has completed at least two years of training beyond their OB-GYN residency. . Two worthy sources for recommendations to reproductive and and endocrinologists are American Society for Reproductive Medicine and RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. And get used to talking (or, rather, listening to) statistics, because fertility treatment is full of doctors talking in terms of averages.

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Additionally, Baby Center recommended that, when discussing statistics with your reproductive endocrinologist, the most important statistics to pay attention to are the pregnancy rate (the chance that the treatment will help you get pregnant) and the live birth rate (the chance that treatment will result in the birth of a baby). When seeking treatment, be sure to bear in mind that you're on a new and exciting journey, and to make sure you've got a supportive system that has your back.