When There Is No Diagnosis
You and your partner have tried for at least a year to get pregnant with no luck. You’ve both gone for fertility testing and are just waiting to hear the results so that you can get started on some type of treatment. No matter what the diagnosis is, you know that you and your partner can work through it. You’ve both prepared yourselves for the worst. hysterosalpingogram But have you prepared yourself to hear "After reviewing your tests, there doesn’t seem to be any reason for your infertility"?
"Excuse Me?"
Between 10% and 20% of couples experiencing fertility problems will have unexplained infertility. Although it is hard for a couple to learn why they are infertile, learning that there doesn’t seem to be any explanation for your infertility can be even more difficult. While couples who receive a diagnosis can go on to be treated, you feel stuck and full of uncertainties. Should you have more testing done or should you start exploring other options? Has something been overlooked to make further testing worth your while? Do you even have treatment options or would you just be randomly choosing a treatment that may or may not work?
It is not unusual for a couple to feel the urge to try other fertility clinics and undergo further testing. Often, they feel that maybe one of these clinics will have some new, cutting edge technology that can determine just why they haven’t been able to conceive. For some couples, this may be true. But for others, it may just be a waste of time and money.
Thinking Outside The Box
Before you feel like all hope is lost, try to see the situation in a different light. Perhaps the issue isn’t that your fertility is some big enigma. Rather, try to remember that scientific knowledge is limited and testing devices aren’t always adequate enough to provide a proper diagnosis. Therefore, the actual reason for your infertility may not be known yet or no tools exist that are able to properly diagnose your infertility.
It’s also important to remember that women over the age of 35 are much more likely to receive a diagnosis of unexplained infertility than any other group. This is most likely because the quality and quantity of a woman’s eggs begin to significantly decrease from age 35 on. However, there is no infertility category for this natural phenomenon. Therefore, these women are told that their infertility is unexplainable despite the fact that it is fully explainable.
Getting Pregnant
Even though your infertility problems may not be rationalized by modern science, it does not mean that you must lead a childless life. Studies have shown that a couple’s chance of naturally conceiving after three years of unexplained infertility range from 1% to 6% per month compared to a fertile couple, who have a 20% chance of conceiving in any given month. Although these may not be the best odds, it shows that it is possible to spontaneously conceive without the aid of any fertility drugs.
Some couples, though, prefer to increase their odds of conceiving by utilizing various fertility treatments. Using infertility drugs, like clomiphene or injectable fertility drugs to aid in ovulation for several cycles, many couples have found success with intrauterine insemination and in vitro fertilization. In fact, some studies have shown that couples with unexplained infertility have a better success rate with these techniques than couples with explained fertility problems. And adoption is always an option no matter what your fertility diagnosis is.
If you receive a diagnosis of unexplained infertility, be sure to discuss all of your questions, concerns, and choices with your partner and your fertility specialist so that you can arrive at the right conception-options for you.
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