Trying to Conceive : Problem, Treatment, Procedures, Side effects, costs and Alternatives

Many couples have been facing the trauma associated with the pregnancy issues and one such problem is the issues faced while trying to conceive. Problems while conceiving is one of the cause associated with infertility among couples. It can be a problem with either of the partner or both. There is a need to have better understanding regarding fertility process, best practices so as to ensure proper pregnancy. In case of any issues the couples should speak freely to the doctors and thus must not hesitate in disclosing any issues faced by them. Pregnancy is a very sensitive topic these days that has gained a lot of attention with the latest advancements and medical procedures that helps the couples to tackle their biggest fear of infertility. From infertility to many other complications, all have been in the eyes of medical researchers and with best in technological advancements many procedures have been developed to overcome the issues of infertility. The best chance of success of trying to conceive and to get pregnant is to be aware of the mensuration cycle and the body changes occurring at that time. By being aware of these facts can be easily determined the time of ovulation of the time when a woman is fertile. Knowing the ovulation time and tracking the ovulation time can help in increasing the success rate of conceiving. A woman’s fertile time is usually a few days per month in the middle of her menstrual cycle and represents the time when a woman ovulates. Inspite of maintaining good practices, tracking the ovulation time and executing all the best in measures if the couples are facing issues of miss-carriages, or no pregnancy, then they should consult the doctors. Doctors shall ask them their family history, personal health history so as to gain insights on their well-being and other issues. For some couples, the doctor may advise some tests like blood test for hormone profiling, sperm count tests for males, urine tests, abdomen scans, CT-scan and thus come up with the root cause which is causing issues while trying to conceive. When the diagnosis is done the treatment shall be followed based on the diagnosis and this may include medication, counselling, minor surgeries etc.

The treatment for trying to conceive can begin at home among the couples by understanding their body response especially a women can track her ovulation period, the period of fertility and this is the best time to get pregnant. Women should track their menstruation cycle well for a better attempt for getting pregnant. There are three ways to track your fertile times

• basal body temperature method,
• calendar method, and
• Ovulation method

Basal body temperature that rises with the ovulation period starting for a woman is also great criteria to stay followed upon in order to put in a better attempt with greater chances of success. The aids or procedures that are taken in order to try to conceive faster as well as with minimal to no complications involved includes firstly the method of keeping a track of basal body temperature. The body temperature of women is slightly higher during the ovulation period than the normal body temperature. It is generally before ovulation, temperature lies between 96 to 98 degrees Fahrenheit whereas after the ovulation period ends the temperature rises to between 97 and 99 degrees. Thus by keeping a track of the basal body temperature, the woman can understand the pattern of ovulation period and can depict or predict the fertile days better.

Some of the technological aids that help a woman with low to moderate complications or inability to keep a track of their fertility period involve many pregnancy fertility apps like Clue that helps in keeping track of periods as well as fertility periods. Ovulation test kits which are similar to the pregnancy kits helps in knowing when the women body is ovulating, what the basal body temperature is and much more which can help in determining the best in time for getting pregnant.

But if these don’t prove to be of any help or if the situation meets following conditions then the couples should consult the doctor:

• Generally the women’s who have been trying for the pregnancies and have failed to conceive after one year of trying or women with age greater than 35 years have failed to conceive after trying for six month duration should consult the doctor for the treatment.
• Having complaints of abnormal bleeding and abdominal pain
• Fever during mensuration
• Unusual discharge of fluids and pain due to its discharge
• Pain or discomfort during intercourse and
• soreness or itching in the vaginal area

The doctor starts by examining the patient by gaining family related health issues, patient health history like age and other health parameters, the patient preferences etc. With respect to women various issues related to mensuration cycle are also examined. The doctor then recommends the female partner to undergo certain examinations which can include following examinations:

1. Blood test, urine test for examining infection or hormonal problem like thyroid, for sperm count in males, sperm sample is examined.
2. Potential female infertility is assessed as part of a thorough physical examination also which can include pelvic and breast examination.
3. Cervical mucus examination is done to determine if ovulation is occurring in proper form.
4. To rule out any blockage, laparoscope is inserted into the abdomen of the female patient.
5. Other examination may include X rays, ultrasound, etc.

Based on the diagnosis the treatment can include:

• Medication based treatment: Medications for women’s are used for stimulating ovaries, for eliminating the hormonal imbalances and ensuring proper hormonal levels, fertility supplements etc. are given to the patients. Some patients are also given antibiotics so as to treat them against the infections. Some of the medications are Clomid, Pregonal. Medication for men’s are for enhancing their sperm count through nutrient supplements, for driving sexual activity, for erection problems etc.
• Some minor surgeries: In some patients the surgery are carried out to remove blockage or scar tissues from fallopian tubes, uterus or pelvic areas. Laparoscopic based surgeries are the best options in this category.
• Assisted reproductive treatment: In this case the patients are treated with assisted technology also known as In-vitro Fertilization (IVF) wherein the fertilization is carried out by extracting an egg from female ovary and sperm from a male sample in a dish in a laboratory under proper experimental conditions. After fertilization of the egg and the sperm, the embryo is planted into the uterus of the recipient women. There major types of IVF are gamete intra-fallopian transfer technology and zygote intra-fallopian transfer. The choice of the type depends on the patient conditions.

On the other hand, for so many women, it is not just the question of how to try to conceive but it is more of an infertility issue. Many treatment methods are present today for infertility for both women as well as men that include intrauterine insemination, surgery, assisted reproductive technology, test tube babies and many more such techniques. These techniques have not only outshined the possibilities of a regeneration of the dead hope that these couples went through but also defines the extent to which medical science can do wonders.

Couples who are unable to conceive in spite of having proper measures of conceiving for at least 1 year should consult the doctor. Generally the women’s who have been trying for the pregnancies and have failed to conceive after one year of trying or women with age greater than 35 years have failed to conceive after trying for six month duration should consult the doctor for the treatment. Women’s who are facing issues like abdominal pain, fever during mensuration, rashes at vaginal area, males who are facing erection problems, sexual problems are all eligible for this treatment. All women who are eligible to reproduce and undergo menstruation except if they have not gone for uterus removal procedure, attained menopause or have some serious life threatening risk or medical condition that is not viable for pregnancy can go for the above treatments.

Those couples who are not facing any issues related to getting pregnant are not eligible for the treatment. All women who have undergone the surgery for removing the uterus, attained menopause or having other severe medical conditions that are against the pregnancy are not eligible for the above treatments. The aids or treatments are there to help women conceive however, if it threatens their lives or involves some major complications then it is advised to go other third party measures like surrogacy, test tube babies etc. in order to have a child.

There are certain minor side effects that are involved with the infertility treatment procedures as well as medications or drugs such as headaches, mood swings, abdominal pain, hot flashes, and abdominal bloating etc. there is also some major side effects that happen with these treatment procedures including ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome however, these are pretty rare in nature any are very less likely to occur for most of the women. There are also some side effects involved with procedures like IVF injection like bruising or swelling at injection site, blood blisters or infection, increased ectopic pregnancy that is very much exceedingly rare but is a part of the list etc.

There are no such major post treatment guidelines that are involved in minor medication and non-surgical fertility treatments except certain dietary considerations, rests to be taken, advised postponement of sex for the given period of time and certain other considerations. However, for surgical treatments, certain other guidelines are involved along with extreme bed rest and observing the recovery pattern that involves immediate contact with the physician if any, complications are there.

Generally, after the incision is performed or the surgery or any procedure is complicated the doctor prescribes to avoid the sexual intercourse before healing completely that may take from three to five days to several weeks. To wait is recommended in order to avoid the generation of any new complications that might lead to another problem. In addition, the time period to recover differentiates from woman to woman based on their bodies and complications involved as well as how well the take rest, follow all guidelines and go with the doctor’s advice.

The general consultation costs and minor issues can range from: Rs 1500 to Rs: 8000/- . The fertility treatments cost can go from low to moderate to very high based on the type and level of treatment opted. For a very advanced assistance in IVF with latest technologies and such the prices can go further higher thus making the whole process very costly, like for an ICSI treatment, the cost can go up to about Rs 1,50,000 to Rs 2,50,000. In addition, a frozen embryo transfer treatment costs an additional value of Rs 1, 20,000 to the patients apart from the main IVF procedure in India. Thus, it is a costly treatment procedure in India that affects its capability to reach more number of patients due to financial constraints for most of the low to moderate-income population that India has.

Based on the different reasons of infertility for different couples, different methods of infertility treatment are done. Many of these treatments do help people to conceive without much of surgical fuss and high power medications involved as well as conceive multiple times without further complications. It is about in 95 percent of cases that these treatments have helped the people in the way it says so and thus it is likely to say that it is permanent in nature and there is minimal to no chances of the same problem occurring again.

It is so that when the conventional methods of treating infertility or complications in conceiving does not work then the patients do look for alternative procedures for the same. Some of these alternative methods include acupuncture helping in improving the fertility through the placebo effect, use of herbal supplements like DHEA supplement to increase fertility, and many more such alternative approaches. Therefore, these are some of the alternative procedures to fight infertility apart from the conventional approaches.