Unexplained Infertility

Writing about the creation of life is about beginning again. There is so much information available today for most people who are trying to conceive. Websites, blogs, advertisements, all leading to potential answers and antidotes which will certainly help you become pregnant. After having gone through so many infertility treatments, experiments on my body, mind and soul, it would inevitable lead to the "Begin Again". And, every time, the begin again was so excruciating and so painful, and yet there was the promise of next time. This is where the mind is so powerful over being influenced by those involved in this multi-million dollar industry. Your goal is to be a parent and you will go through things so incredible to have a… [more]

Welcome to the new series of Fertility Blogs! As a Mom and a woman who had some of the most excruciating experiences with my infertility treatments, I can empathize and sympathize with every woman, man and family during these emotional times. A friend once asked me to describe myself, using one word, starting with the letter of the alphabet. This gave me 26 ways to describe myself and I felt compelled to accept the challenge; knowing it would be simple, right? I began to ask other friends, family and colleagues to use a word that best described me in their eyes. Some were hilarious, others poignant, and still some even stung. As a columnist, I began a series on life from A-Z and it… [more]

It seems to me like I meet more people who are experiencing infertility all the time. This may be that I'm drawn to these men and women because I feel a connection with them or maybe it is something else. A lot of people feel that some couples are experiencing infertility at a higher rate because they are waiting until they are older to start having a family. But I've come across one person who has a different opinion on the matter. This person feels that more people are experiencing infertility because there are simply less spirits ready to come to Earth. This person believes that a finite amount of souls were made before/during the creation of the Earth. Then one by one… [more]

Much has been said about the benefits of acupuncture for someone suffering through infertility. Of all the crazy, wacky things I tried to help me get pregnant -ingesting Mucinex and Robitussin, anything to do with kegels, holding my legs propped against the wall for an hour, and so much more - the one thing that I never pursued was acupuncture therapy. Knowing that I was desperate and literally willing to try pretty much anything, it is kind of surprising to me that at no time in the five plus years of trying to conceive did I even really seriously contemplate visiting an acupuncturist. I don't know if it was too new-age, alternative for my simplistic and medically conservative outlook… [more]

Even before my husband and I began to try to have children I knew that I could have fertility issues. I annually (at first) saw a gynecologist and had times when I turned to him for consult regarding one female issue or another. I was aware that I had irregular periods, heavy bleeding and painful cramping - all signs that female fertility problems can be present. My husband, on the other hand, had no real indication of if he could have a problem or not. He did not see a physician regularly and had no occasion to visit a doctor that could or would diagnose problems that could affect fertility. So, after a year of trying to conceive with no… [more]

I have mentioned in previous posts that the very first fertility treatment I tried was clomiphine citrate, more commonly called Clomid or Serophene. I was initially prescribed Clomid after my diagnosis of PCOS. Prior to starting the Clomid medication I had tracked my cycles and realized that I do not reliably ovulate each month - it was definitely hit or miss. The goal of Clomid is to induce ovulation and when I told my ob/gyn that I was not ovulating every month he assured me that Clomid had an excellent success rate and that he was confident that it would do the trick. He remarked that I would only be allowed to take the Clomid for six cycles, but told… [more]

Let's talk about S-E-X. When my husband and I first started trying to conceive we didn't give too much thought to timing and planning and the intricacies of human reproduction. When our "efforts" were not successful I began to really study my cycle and learn about peak days of fertility. At this point my husband was still excited about our venture, still thinking that this babymaking business worked out really well for him! Eventually, though, like a lot of couples, on-demand sex became very tiresome and our efforts dwindled to pretty much only when it was conceivable that a baby could result. Everyone I knew who was struggling with infertility were doing the same thing - tracking… [more]

According to RESOLVE, A National Infertility Association that is an excellent resource and support outlet, over three million Americans are affected by secondary infertility and in fact it has "a higher prevalence rate than primary infertility." Secondary infertility came onto my radar after I learned that a friend with a seven year-old child was struggling to conceive and had been trying for a sibling for her daughter for several years. I had never really given much thought to this very common problem, and if I am being honest was probably more often in the camp of "they should be happy they have a child." As I talked more and more to the friend suffering through Secondary Infertility I realized just… [more]

In this era of "octomoms" and families of 8 or 18 it is easy to understand how people can have misconceptions about infertility and its treatment. As I was searching for information and statistics regarding multiple births and fertility treatment (out of pure curiosity), I realized that there are A LOT of myths and misunderstandings when it comes to reproductive challenges and assistance. I, like a lot of other people, don't always know the difference between truth and fiction when it comes to infertility and so I thought I would use this blog as a forum to address some of those myths and try to find the truths. Probably one of the most prevalent general ideas about IVF… [more]

Unexplained infertility is a very frustrating diagnosis for many couples. According to the article Unexplained Infertility, 10% of all infertile couples have a diagnosis of "unexplained infertility," which is just a more professional-sounding way for a doctor to say, "You've stumped me."

As the article points out, some couples have nothing physically wrong with their reproductive systems but are just plain unlucky. However, in other cases, there is a reason for the infertility: Medical science just has not caught up with diagnosing the cause yet.

According to the article, couples with unexplained infertility have a one in three chance in conceiving over a three-year period with no medical intervention. Using fertility treatments can increase the odds of conceiving sooner. I have… [more]