After months of unsuccessful conception attempts, you and your significant other decide to pay your reproductive endocrinologist a visit. After completing a series of tests, they find nothing wrong with either of you.
The question then becomes, “Well if there’s nothing wrong with me and my partner, then why can’t I get pregnant?” As much as you’re glad to hear that your partner doesn’t have a low sperm count and/or low motility, and that you’re able to ovulate on your own, being diagnosed with “unexplained infertility” isn’t exactly the result you’re expecting.
infertility and sperm, image : institutobernabeu.com
Essentially, what this means is that there’s nothing wrong with you medically, or perhaps our current available technology is unable to determine the cause of your unsuccessful attempts at pregnancy. Since there isn’t any reasonable conclusion you can draw on what your next step should be, you’re left wondering in the dark.
How Common is Unexplained Infertility?
According to a recent report, around 1 million couples worldwide undergo fertility treatments every year. Upfront, one third of them are told that they have unexplained or idiopathic infertility, meaning doctors cannot seem to find anything wrong with either the male or female after analysis of sperm and fallopian tubes or uterus.
The majority of couples experiencing problems with fertility are able to receive an explanation for their infertility. These causes range from low sperm count, poor sperm motility in the man to blocked fallopian tubes or endometriosis in the woman. Once the causes for infertility have been established the appropriate course of assisted conception treatment can be undertaken.
For almost one third of couples, however, there has been no obvious cause for infertility and these couples are given the diagnosis of unexplained fertility. These couples often invest a lot of time and money in fertility treatments like intrauterine insemination (IUI) unlikely to be successful.
Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after 1 year of regular unprotected intercourse. Much is still unknown about what it takes to achieve a successful pregnancy; in fact, for one third of couples who can’t get pregnant after a year of trying, there’s no apparent medical explanation.
But even when infertility has an explainable cause, treating it is sometimes more art than science. Some women will do everything right and still get the heartbreaking diagnosis of “unexplained infertility”.
In Vitro Fertilization?
IVF – image Wikipedia
It is generally believed that In Vitro fertilization (IVF) is the most successful form of treatment to unexplained infertility. However, before opting to undertake IVF, consider the following:
• IVF is an expensive procedure. A single cycle of IVF in the US costs about $ 12,000. In addition, there are no guarantees that you will successfully conceive on your first cycle or your subsequent cycles for that matter.
• IVF can be very demanding. It has its side effects and they can be harmful for you. Before deciding to try IVF, both you and your partner need to talk to your doctor and understand the risks involved. Some of the side effects include: Feeling swollen or puffy, putting on weight, feeling bloated, vomiting, abdomen pain and shortness of breath.
• Multiple pregnancies. If you have IVF, you may give birth to more than one child. This is because doctors may put two embryos back into the womb. This increases the chance of the IVF working, but it might work “too well”.
• Premature birth. Children born after IVF are more likely to be premature and with a low birth weight.
After you’ve carefully considered the pros and the cons of IVF treatment with your partner, it’s then up to you to decide whether or not IVF would be your next step. If you do decide to go on with this treatment, make sure that you are physically and emotionally ready for the long journey ahead.
Saving...