Infertility
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What is Infertility?
About 7 million couples in the United States—or one in six—will have difficulty getting pregnant, or conceiving, and may need medical help to conceive a child. While there are many possible causes of infertility, there are many treatments available to help almost everyone. The nationally-recognized providers and researchers at UR Medicine are at the forefront of infertility treatment.
Conception is a complicated process that depends on many things, including:
- The production of healthy sperm and healthy eggs
- Open fallopian tubes that allow the sperm to reach the egg
- The sperm's ability to fertilize the egg when they meet
- The ability of the fertilized egg (embryo) to become implanted in the uterus
- Good embryo quality
- An adequate hormonal environment to support embryo development
When a problem comes up with even one of these factors, infertility can happen. Infertility can affect both partners.
What Causes Infertility?
Common causes of infertility in people with a male reproductive system include:
- Azoospermia: no sperm cells are produced
- Oligospermia: few sperm cells are produced
Causes of infertility in people with female reproductive systems include:
- Ovulation disorder (the most common cause)
- Blocked fallopian tubes
- Pelvic inflammatory disease
- Endometriosis; a sometimes painful condition causing adhesions and cysts
What Are the Types of Infertility?
- Primary infertility: Difficulty conceiving for the first time after one year of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse. If you are over 35, primary infertility can be diagnosed after six months.
- Secondary infertility: The inability to get pregnant again after a successful pregnancy.
- Unexplained infertility: When fertility testing does not uncover a clear reason why a person or couple cannot get pregnant.
Learn more about the Strong Fertility Center.
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UR Medicine's Treatments for Infertility
Having difficulty starting or expanding your family can be one of the most emotional challenges you face. At Strong Fertility Center, we can bring hope, comfort, and results with the most important knowledge of all: knowing you’ve found a compassionate, trusted, and successful center in upstate New York for fertility treatments.
Our treatment options include:
- Intrauterine Insemination (IUI): Sperm is prepared (washed) and placed within the uterus at the time of ovulation.
- Microscopic surgery to increase sperm production.
- In Vitro Fertilization (IVF): A woman’s eggs are stimulated to develop, surgically collected, then fertilized in the laboratory (in-vitro). The fertilized eggs or embryos can be transferred back to a woman’s uterus to implant for pregnancy.
- Donor Eggs: UR Medicine is home to the longest running donor program in upstate New York, with both anonymous and known donations.
- Donor Sperm: The process is quite simple, using a speculum (similar to a pap smear) and a very thin plastic tube to deposit the sperm. We work with sperm banks with New York State tissue bank licenses:
Your provider may use a combination of medications to help stimulate the production and release of eggs:
- Ovulation Stimulation Medications, including clomiphene/letrozole.
- HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, Pregnyl, Novarel, Ovidrel): Medications to help the final stages of egg maturation and trigger ovulation (the release of eggs).
- Gonadotropins (Gonal-F, Follistim, Menopur, Bravelle): Stimulation of follicular development (or production of eggs).
- Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone Agonist (Lupron): Control ovulation for timing with in vitro fertilization or insemination.
- Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone Antagonist (Ganirelix, Cetrotide): Help time ovulation.
- Insulin Sensitizers (Metformin, Glucophage, Fortamet): Medications to help bring ovulation for certain patients or to be used with other fertility drugs.
- Progesterone therapy (Progesterone vaginal suppositories, Crinone, Prometrium, Progesterone in oil): Supplementation of hormone that is necessary to prepare the uterus for a pregnancy.
What Sets Us Apart?
Strong Fertility Center is the longest-standing in vitro fertilization center in upstate New York. Our doctors are highly experienced and subspecialty certified in reproductive endocrinology and infertility.
UR Medicine Urology offers fellowship trained experts with experience in endocrinology research and surgical techniques. Our specialists will work collaboratively to help find the best treatment options for you.
Providers
Locations
We serve you in the Rochester metropolitan area and surrounding region.
1 location
Red Creek (Calkins Corporate Park)
500 Red Creek Drive, Suite 220
Rochester, NY 14623