InVia Fertility Specialists recently hosted a webinar, "Infertility 101", where our three board-certified reproductive endocrinologists spoke on the definition, prevalence, causes, investigations and treatment of infertility. This was followed by a series of questions from the audience that were answered. If you haven't watched it yet, here is a summary of the top five things you will learn in our Infertility 101 webinar:
- Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after one year of unprotected intercourse. It is fairly common as one in seven couples will have a problem conceiving. The good news is that technology has now advanced to a point where most couples will achieve pregnancy as long as they persist with treatment and make whatever adjustments that are required based on their situation.
- When we investigate a couple, 35% of the time there will be problems with the male, 35% with the female and 20% of the time with both. In 10% of cases the infertility will remain unexplained. Tubal disease, ovulation disorders (including polycystic ovary syndrome), endometriosis and diminished ovarian reserve (egg factor) are the commonest causes of female infertility.
- Semen analysis, hormone evaluation and evaluation of the uterine cavity and fallopian tubes are usually required to complete a basic work up. These will be discussed in detail in the webinar. Surgery is no longer routinely recommended as part of the infertility work up.
- The various treatment modalities including intrauterine insemination (IUI), ovulation induction, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and testing embryos for chromosomal abnormalities will be discussed. Male factor can be treated with IUI or if severe, with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). In patients with zero sperm count (azoospermia) we can surgically remove sperm from the testes (testicular sperm extraction (TESE)) and do IVF + ICSI to achieve pregnancy.
- Infertility treatment is a team effort. At InVia Fertility Specialists we have a team consisting of Board Certified Reproductive Endocrinologists and Urologists along with experienced embryologists, ultrasound technicians, nursing staff that are all dedicated to help you achieve your goal of having a baby. As our tag line says, we are “your pathway to pregnancy”!
Naturally, this is just a taste of what we covered in the Fertility 101 webinar. You can watch this webinar and all our other webinars by clicking here.
If you're ready to talk to one of our board-certified fertility specialists, get in touch today. Click the banner below to schedule an appointment at one of our four Chicago-area fertility clinics.
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