Is IVF Your Best Treatment Option?

You may not need In Vitro Fertilization to conceive. There may be alternative and less expensive treatment options for you.

You and your partner should have sufficient "exposure" to pregnancy before spending time, money, and emotional energy on fertility tests and treatment. On the other hand, it is very important that you do not wait too long. Please note that there is no distinction between having unprotected intercourse and "trying" to conceive. They both represent "exposure" to conception.

The following table illustrates the recommended length of "exposure," as it relates to the female partner’s age, before consulting a Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) specialist.

 

The selection of the most appropriate treatment option for you will be primarily based on the length of your infertility, the age of the female partner, the presence of male factor infertility, and the condition of the Fallopian tubes.

You should consider In Vitro Fertilization treatment if any of the following apply to you:

• History of pelvic adhesions
• Presence of male infertility
• Long-standing infertility: no contraception for 18 months or more
• Decreasing "ovarian reserve": female age over 37
• You have had unsuccessful intrauterine insemination (IUI) treatment
• You have had unsuccessful ovarian stimulation treatment