On your first visit to a fertility specialist, a doctor will give you an examination to determine the presence of infertility. The fertility specialist with physical examinations and sexual and medical histories for both you and your partner.
Once the physical examinations have been completed, your doctor will run some tests. Generally, men undergo semen specimen tests where the sperm will be evaluated based on its quantity per ejaculation, its shape, and its movement (aka motility). Sometimes, other tests are also conducted such as hormone tests.
For a woman, the doctor will try to determine if she is ovulating properly every month. To determine this, she will need to either record her temperature every morning in addition to her cervical mucous texture or she will need to use a home ovulation test kit. Checking ovulation may also require some other tests. These tests may include blood tests for hormone levels and ultrasound tests to check the ovaries.
*Question: How is infertility treated?
Treatment for infertility depends on the physical examination and test results. In most cases, 85 to 90 percent of infertility cases are treated with prescription drugs or surgery.
There are several different fertility drugs that can be taken by women having ovulation problems. However, it is essential that you speak with your physician and let him prescribe the right drugs for your situation. He is the best person to explain to you the possible side effects as well as the possible benefits.
Surgery can be done in cases where fertility problems are caused by damage or other problems in the reproductive organs of either the man or the woman.
*Question: What medicines do doctors use for treating infertility in women?
If a woman is having problems with ovulation, the medication Clomiphene Citrate is often prescribed. It is common for this drug to be used for women who may be experiencing Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or other disorders that cause ovulation problems.
The human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG) is the medicine usually prescribed for women who are not ovulatiing because of problems with pituitary glands. hMG acts directly on the ovaries to encourage ovulation.
A few other drugs for ovaries such as follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (Gn-RH) are also sometimes prescribed for women experiencing fertility problems. These medicines usually come in the form of injections.
Metformin is often used to treat women who have high levels of male hormones which create complications with ovulation. It is common for Metformin to be combined with FSH.
Another commonly prescribed medicine, Bromocriptine is often prescribed for women having complications with ovulation caused by high levels of prolactin, the hormone responsible for milk production.
*Question: Do insurance plans cover treatments I need for infertility?
While there are insurance plans that cover infertility treatments, such coverage is dependent on where you are from and the type of insurance policy you have. Presently, already 12 states have enacted laws requiring insurance providers to cover some degree of infertility diagnosis and treatments, either in full or in part. Those states that have passed such laws include:
- Arkansas
- California
- Connecticut
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Montana
- New York
- Ohio
- Rhode Island
- Texas
The laws enacted in each of these states may differ in their reach in addition to the kinds of treatments that must be covered. If you would like additional information regarding insurance coverage for infertility diagnosis and treatment, search online for the website of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and click on the State Infertility Insurance Laws link.
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Infertility expert Isabel Tagge gives expert advice on Infertility Insurance Coverage. As editor of Infertility-Tips.com, she offers infertility tips and writes Infertility Questions and Answers for PrettyGreatAnswers.com.
