Fertility Treatment

What is Fertility Treatment?

Fertility treatment is an umbrella term for a wide range of medical procedures to improve your chances of becoming pregnant. Fertility treatment includes testing services to identify the issue causing your infertility. Once the cause of your inability to conceive is identified, your doctor recommends any of a number of treatments, including medication to stimulate ovulation and procedures like in vitro fertilization (IVF) to help the egg and sperm cells join.

Fertility treatments are also helpful for LGBTQ and transgender people who want to have children. The team at Columbia Fertility Associates want to help everyone build the family they want.

What Should I Expect During In-Vitro Fertilization?

There are three stages of IVF: ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, and embryo transfer.

1. Ovarian Stimulation: During the ovarian stimulation stage, you take medication to stimulate multiple follicles. Your ovaries are closely monitored so your physician can retrieve your egg cells at the optimal time.
2. Egg Retrieval: When your eggs are ready for harvest, your doctor provides a mild sedative for your comfort and uses ultrasound imaging to locate your follicles. They remove your follicles, which are then sent to the lab for egg extraction. At the same time, the man provides a sperm sample which is used to fertilize the retrieved eggs.
3. Embryo Transfer: The final step is for your doctor to transfer your embryos to your uterus at the optimal time for successful implantation in your uterine wall. They put the embryos into a catheter, which is gently passed into your uterus. They use ultrasounds to confirm the catheter is in the best position to release the embryos.

In most cases, your doctor transfers three embryos into your uterus to increase the chances of successful implantation and pregnancy.

The lab technicians at Columbia Fertility Associates freeze and store any unused embryos or unfertilized eggs for future use.

Am I a Good Candidate for Fertility Treatment?

Fertility treatment is suitable for people who are unable to conceive through heterosexual intercourse. Heteronormative couples should seek fertility treatment if they’ve been having unprotected sex for a year and haven’t become pregnant. If you’re over the age of 35, you should make an appointment for fertility assessment and treatment after six months of unsuccessful attempts to conceive.

The doctors and staff at Columbia Fertility Associates also offer donor and surrogate programs that are helpful for LGBTQ and transgendered people who want to have a family, as well as heteronormative people who don’t have viable eggs or sperm or are unable to carry a pregnancy to term.

If you’re having trouble conceiving or need help creating a baby, call or schedule a consultation online today to meet with the fertility experts at Columbia Fertility Associates.