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Struggling to fall pregnant? Or unable to carry a baby full-term? After a year of trying, you are likely to be eligible for fertility treatment. A doctor will be able to run tests to determine if any specific treatment is needed. There are many different types of fertility treatment to consider. Below are some of the most common forms of fertility treatment.
Fertility medication
A number of drugs can be prescribed to improve fertility. This includes drugs that can improve male fertility such as gonadotropins or drugs for women such as clomiphene citrate. Some drugs can be taken orally, while others will need to be injected by a professional.
A doctor will be able to recommend exactly which drugs to take. Fertility medication is often not too expensive and has a relatively high success rate. Just be wary of the side effects of certain medication and the potential complications and consequences that can arise. For example, taking gonadotropins can result in a high chance of having twins if you do conceive.
IUI
IUI is a procedure that involves taking the best quality sperm from the man and then injecting them directly into the womb. IUI is recommended for men with low sperm quality, as it enables the best quality sperm to be picked out.
A single cycle of IUI usually costs between £700 and £1600. The success rate of IUI is only 7% to 10%, but it could still be worth trying before moving onto IVF if you think the problem may be due to a male fertility issue. .
IVF
While IUI still allows the egg to be fertilised inside the body, IVF involves manually combining the egg and sperm in the womb outside of the body. In many cases this can be much more effective than IUI - the success rate for women under 35 is 32%, which means there’s a high chance of being successful in three rounds.
Unfortunately, IVF can be quite expensive. One round of treatment can cost over $5000. There are loans and payment plans available that can help spread out the cost.
Egg/sperm donation
If you are not producing eggs or your partner’s sperm is low quality, there is the option of looking into egg donation or sperm donation. This involves using a donated egg or donated sperm to try to conceive.
Egg donation has a 80% chance of being effective, while success rates of donor sperm typically range between 60% and 80%. Costs of egg and sperm donation can vary quite a bit depending on whether they are used with IUI or IVF treatment. You can read more here about the egg donation process.
Laparoscopic surgery
Surgery is sometimes recommended for dealing with certain fertility issues like removing fibroids or unblocking a fallopian tube. Laparoscopic surgery (or keyhole surgery) is one form of surgery that can leave minimal scarring.
A doctor will be able to inform you if surgery is a viable solution for you. The success rate of surgery can vary depending on the nature of the procedure.