Fertility Treatment Options
What fertility treatment options do I have?
If you’re struggling with infertility and need help getting pregnant, there are fertility treatments that can help increase your chances of having a baby.
What are the different types of fertility treatments?
Thanks to technology, there are lots of ways to help people with all kinds of fertility issues. The options that are best for you depend on your personal situation and what’s causing your infertility.
Sometimes only one person needs treatment, other times both partners will use a combination of treatments together.
Fertility treatments often include medications that help with hormones and ovulation, sometimes combined with minor surgical procedures. Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) describes several kinds of procedures that can help you have a baby. ART includes procedures that make it easier for sperm to fertilize an egg, and help the egg implant in your uterine lining.
Two of the most common fertility treatments are:
1. intrauterine insemination (IUI):
Healthy sperm is collected and inserted directly into your uterus when you’re ovulating.
2. in vitro fertilization (IVF)
Eggs are taken from your ovaries and fertilized by sperm in a lab, where they develop into embryos. Then a doctor puts the embryos into your uterus.
Cryopreservation (aka freezing your eggs, sperm, or embryos), egg or embryo donation, and gestational carriers (aka surrogacy) are also forms of ART.
Donor sperm, donor eggs, and surrogates are often used by same-sex couples or single people who want to have a baby. You can also use sperm and/or eggs from a donor if a problem with your own sperm cells or eggs is causing infertility issues.
Talking with a doctor who specializes in pregnancy and/or infertility can help you figure out which treatments are best for you. Your family doctor or gynecologist can refer you to a fertility specialist.