InfertilityThis is a featured page

What is infertility?

Infertility is the inability to conceive after a year of unprotected intercourse in women under 35, or after six months in women over 35, or the inability to carry a pregnancy to term. Couples who have known barriers to fertility, such as endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, male factor infertility, irregular cycles, etc., do not need to sit out the traditional waiting period to seek expert care for infertility.

How common is infertility?
One in every six couples of childbearing age has an infertility problem. There is a female problem in 35% of the cases, a male problem in 35% of the cases, a combined problem of the couple in 20% of cases. Therefore, it is essential that both the man and the woman be evaluated during an infertility work-up. In 10% of cases, the problem is "unexplained" meaning that all testing is normal.

When should I seek help for infertility?
Conventional medical advice is to seek treatment if you have been trying to conceive for at least one year. However, if the male partner has a known or suspected low sperm count or the female partner is over 30 years old, has a history of pelvic inflammatory disease, painful periods, recurrent miscarriage, or irregular periods then we suggest seeking treatment sooner.

What are "primary" and "secondary infertility"?
Primary infertility is infertility without ever conceiving or successfully carrying a pregnancy to a live birth. Secondary infertility is the inability to conceive again after one or more successful pregnancies.


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Anonymous Free medical record to help you get better medical care 0 Mar 9 2008, 8:17 AM EDT by Anonymous
 
Thread started: Mar 9 2008, 8:17 AM EDT  Watch
Infertility treatment can be a stressful time. You will probably feel overwhelmed by a hectic schedule of medical checkups and infertility tests and treatments. Gathering and keeping track of all of the information generated can be a challenging task ! Not only do you have to decipher all that medical jargon ( sometimes it feels like you are studying for a PhD !), you have to make sure that your family doctor and andrologist and IVF specialist are on the same page and talking to each other, because it often feels like the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing.
When you are going through the worry and stress of infertility problems, the last thing you need is to have to remember the results of every test and procedure that you've had for the last 6 months!
The Infertility PHR is designed to help you manage Infertility from beginning to end. The PHR provides you a centralized place to organise , store, and protect your Infertility information, testing and records so that you :
• Easily document and track the infertility medications you are taking
• Never have to worry about trying to explain the details of your health care to someone else (such as another doctor or infertility specialist)
• Track and document all of the critical aspects of Infertility including, your body temperature, fertility charts, doctor recommendations and treatment plan, lab tests, and any questions you may have when trying to become pregnant
• Make it easier for you to get a second opinion
• Never have to beg your doctor for a copy of your own medical records !

A well-organised medical record can spell the difference between failure and success !
Please try out the Infertility PHR and give us feedback, so we can improve it !

Dr Malpani, MD

www.myinfertilityrecord.com

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Anonymous Great book about pregnancy, motherhood and infertility 0 Mar 27 2007, 2:04 AM EDT by Anonymous
 
Thread started: Mar 27 2007, 2:04 AM EDT  Watch
Waiting for Daisy by Peggy Orenstein

I must stress that this book is not just for mothers, infertile women etc. It is a book about being human and everyone could benefit from reading it. Would be fathers, singles, grandparents - read it. Mothers -buy it. Women who choose not to have children- read it. Women who can't have children, buy it. You will see yourself in her mirror somewhere in her book. It will make you laugh, squirm and cry and you won't be able to put it down. It is one of those books that sticks to your ribs and you will be thinking about Peggy O and her life for awhile. Her high school boyfriend who has 15 children is great non fiction - life IS better than art in this book.

I too suffered from "unexplained infertility" and went through the fertility mill. I now have two beautiful children and I was trying to read the last 14 pages on Saturday morning while my two kids were climbing all over me and begging me to please read But not the Hippopotamus. I selfishly ignored the very children I tried for 4 years to will into being to read a book that touched on that awful, obsessive infertile "I am less than a woman" stale eggs time for me with a sledgehammer.

Peggy O is my new literary heroine.

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