When should a childless couple see an infertility specialist?

While infertility treatment in India has advanced tremendously in the last ten years, childless couples frequently tend to lose out on its benefits by delaying the decision to see an infertility specialist. It is a general tendency to first try out all your options before seeking professional expertise. However just as any other medical condition gets worsened due to delay in treatment, the problem of infertility also gets worse with passing time, negatively impacting the patient in more ways than one.

At Shantah FertilityCentre we see many cases where delay in proper treatment has caused a patient’s infertility to grow from mild to severe – and as a result they need more intensive and prolonged treatment. Deferring infertility treatment greatly affects the chances of success of fertility procedures as age is a critical factor in a woman’s reproductive health.

Ideally women are advised to see an infertility specialist after trying to conceive naturally for 12 months through unprotected intercourse. Women over 35 should see an expert after six months of trying.

While this is the standard recommendation for seeking infertility treatment, your particular condition may necessitate seeing an infertility doctor sooner. For example if a woman’s infertility is caused by endometriosis  or polycystic ovaries – she may need to see a fertility doctor immediately.

What causes the delay?

Generally when a woman has trouble getting pregnant, she would reach out to her gynaecologist who guides the patient about their ovulation cycle and how to maximize the possibility of pregnancy by timing sexual intercourse to coincide with ovulation. She may also be given medication to support ovulation.

If you have failed to get pregnant after trying for 3-4 months, your primary doctor may run some tests to find the possible cause of your inability to conceive. Gynaecologists are equipped to do a preliminary analysis of infertility based on which they would recommend you to consult a fertility expert.

If you have been under treatment with your gynaecologist for 6 months with no positive outcome we strongly recommend that you see a fertility expert at the earliest.

Seeing an experienced fertility expert means that you are entrusting your treatment in the hands of an expert who has the experience, expertise, and the infrastructure to do a detailed analysis of your condition and impart the right treatment at the right time.

Just as no one can fix a bad tooth as well as a dental physician, your infertility issues are best handled by a specialist trained in assisted reproductive technology (ART).

To sum up, it is advisable to see an infertility specialist in the following situations:

• Inability to conceive despite regular unprotected intercourse
• History of miscarriages
• When preliminary treatment by gynaecologist has been unsuccessful
• Medical condition requiring specialized treatment – endometriosis, PCOD, premature ovarian failure, obstruction in the fallopian tubes etc.
• Male factor infertility: poor or nil sperm count, physical obstruction  in the reproductive organs
• Unexplained infertility – when cause of infertility cannot be established with basic lab tests

For further questions or for a Free Second Opinion you may contact Dr. Anubha Singh, Medical Director, Shantah Fertility Centre here.

 Email id:  info@shantahivf.com   Contact Number : +91 8447 160 795