Infertility is a complicated subject, which means that you may have a long list of questions when you decide to see a fertility specialist to address your family planning goals.

To help clear up some confusion about infertility and prepare you for the first consultation with a reproductive physician, read through this list of the most commonly asked questions about fertility care. Then read on for some less frequently asked questions that may be equally as helpful as the frequently asked ones.

Fertility FAQs

What are the most common causes of infertility?

With more women choosing to start families later in life as they approach their mid-30s and early 40s, age is the most significant concern when it comes to fertility. As women get older, they have a smaller supply of healthy eggs that will be viable for a healthy pregnancy. Other frequently diagnosed infertility causes include:

• Endometriosis
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• Uterine abnormalities
• Male factors such as low sperm count or inherited genetic disorders 

When should I call a fertility specialist?

Determining when to consult a fertility specialist can be tricky, because pregnancy may not happen within the first few months of trying. For otherwise healthy couples this may seem like a big problem, but it is actually normal for conception to take up to one year in couples under the age of 35. For couples older than this, six months is a good benchmark for scheduling an appointment with a specialist.

What are the assisted reproductive technologies available to me?

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) include ovulation induction, superovulation and insemination, and in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Each of these procedures involves bypassing certain parts of the reproductive process that may prevent natural implantation of an embryo. These therapies should be discussed in detail with a physician, and they may require the assistance of donor materials, depending on the present causes of infertility.

How can I afford infertility treatment?

Once you do begin looking at assisted reproductive technologies, you will find that these therapies are not cheap and not often covered by health insurance. Still, there are financing options and affordable programs that can help couples access reproductive treatments without going into debt before even achieving pregnancy.

Fertility Not So FAQs

For most people, fertility is not a primary health concern until it comes time to start a family. However, the habits you have early on in life can significantly affect your fertility, leading to difficulties when you want to conceive. Here are some questions about lesser-known things you may not realize are affecting your fertility.

Can drug use before trying to become pregnant affect chances of conception?

You might think that smoking cigarettes is not a problem as long as you quit once you are trying to conceive. The truth of the matter is that cigarette use and secondhand smoke have both been shown to reduce fertility – in both men and women. Some of these effects are irreversible. For example, smoking can case the permanent loss of eggs resulting in an irreversible depletion of a woman’s egg supply.

Use of marijuana and opiate drugs can also affect fertility by altering the parts of the brain that regulate the production of female hormones. There have been some claims that moderate alcohol use can increase fertility, but higher rates of pregnancy in women who drink may simply be related to the fact that these women are having intercourse more often (and alcohol may hinder judgment when it comes to contraceptive use).

Can environmental toxins, such as herbicides and pesticides, make me infertile?

Organic produce selections may be much more important for women planning to have children, because exposure to certain pesticides may have an effect on menstrual cycle regularity. You might also think twice about using lawn chemicals and weed killers, as the chemicals in these products can also decrease fertility. Other possible chemical concerns include BPA (bisphenol A) and PFCs (perfluorinated chemicals), which are commonly seen in plastic products such as water bottles and Teflon-coated pans.

I take some prescription medications, can they affect my fertility?

Unless you are planning to get pregnant in the near future, your physician may not fully discuss the fertility effects of prescription medications like antidepressants or anti-nausea medications. Both of these prescription types may interfere with ovulation, so you should ask your doctor about these effects before you begin taking new medications. Nonprescription medications can also be a concern. Both pain medications other than Tylenol and anti-histamines, such as Benadryl, Zyrtec, Claritin, Allegra etc., can theoretically keep the egg from coming out of the ovary. Studies on a drug’s effect on fertility is not routinely required before a drug’s approval for use in the United States, so many times it is not possible to say if a drug has an effect on fertility or not.

The caring team at Arizona Reproductive Medicine Specialists invites you to learn more about infertility and your treatment options at one of our free informational seminars. You can also visit our website to read more helpful information about fertility and our services, including IVF.

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