Infertility Can Be an Overwhelming Thought: Here Are the First Steps You Can Take

Not being able to conceive after months of trying can put a real strain on your relationship, not to mention how it affects how you feel about yourself and what you thought was going to be your future. While infertility affects 10% of women trying to conceive, it doesn’t mean that you’re never going to have a baby.

Here at Progressive Women’s Health, under the leadership of women’s health expert Asia Mohsin, MD, we can help you wade through the misinformation surrounding infertility and help you devise a plan so you can have the family you’ve always dreamed of.

Give it a year

About 85% of couples are able to conceive during their first year of trying, with most getting pregnant within the first few months. While that may not sound like music to your ears, it does put things into perspective. If you’ve been trying and it’s only been a few months, keep at it.

Technically, infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after 12 months of trying, or six months if you’re 35 or older. Being diagnosed as infertile doesn’t mean you’re never going to have children. But it may indicate that there’s something going on physically that’s affecting your ability to conceive.  

Track your ovulation

Guess what? There are only certain times of the month that you can actually get pregnant, which is referred to as your fertile window and solely depends on your menstrual cycle. So, before you let the stress of not being able to conceive overwhelm you, take some control by tracking your ovulation.

Sperm can live for up to five days in your uterus, but your egg is only fertile for about 24 hours after it’s been released by your ovaries. Your fertile window occurs five days before you release your egg.

You can determine your fertile window by tracking your menstrual cycle, which begins the day you start your period and ends the day before your next period. On average, a woman’s menstrual cycle lasts 21 to 35 days and your fertile window begins 14 days before you start your next period. Once you’ve figured out your average cycle, you can determine your fertile window using a calendar or app.

You can also monitor for signs that indicate ovulation, such as breast tenderness, bloating, and cramping on one side of your body. You can also use an ovulation test kit, which measures luteinizing hormone levels in your urine, to determine when you’re ovulating.

Most women who suffer from infertility have an irregular menstrual cycle and may not ovulate on a set schedule, which can make it difficult to track your fertile window.

Come see us

If you’ve tried for a year and monitored your ovulation and you’re still not pregnant, we can help. Dr. Mohsin is a women’s health expert who specializes in infertility and can help you find the underlying cause of your infertility after a comprehensive examination.

As just mentioned, in most cases infertility is caused by irregularities in ovulation, which may be due to a number of common conditions that affect women, including polycystic ovarian syndrome or endometriosis. We can improve ovulation, and your chances of getting pregnant, with various medications that stimulate your body to release hormones that help regulate ovulation.

We may also be able to improve fertility with a simple, minimally invasive procedure that removes scar tissue from your fallopian tubes that may be preventing your egg from being fertilized by sperm. If medication and surgery don’t work, we can explore other options.

Infertility is treatable. Whatever the cause, Dr. Mohsin can help you find the right solution so you can have the baby you’ve been dreaming of.

If you’re struggling to conceive and you’re looking for answers, call Progressive Women’s Health today or request an appointment online.