Fertility problems - treatment overview
Some fertility problems are more easily treated than others. In general, as a woman ages, especially after age 35, her chances of getting pregnant go down. But her risk of miscarriage goes up.
If you are 35 or older, your doctor may recommend that you skip some of the steps younger couples usually take. That's because your chances of having a baby decrease with each passing year.
It's important to understand that even if you are able to get pregnant, no treatment can guarantee a healthy baby. On the other hand, scientists in this field have made many advances that have helped millions of couples have babies.
Take time to plan
Before you and your partner start treatment, talk about how far you want to go with treatment. For example, you may want to try medicine but don't want to have surgery. You may change your mind during your treatment, but it's good to start with an idea of what you want your limits to be.
Treatment for fertility can also cost a lot. And insurance often doesn't cover these expenses. If cost is a concern for you, ask how much the medicines and procedures cost. Then find out if your insurance covers any costs. Talk with your partner about what you can afford.
Thinking about this ahead of time may help keep you from becoming emotionally and financially drained from trying a series of treatments you hadn't planned for.
Initial treatment
Treatment for the woman
Treatments for fertility problems in women depend on what may be keeping the woman from getting pregnant. Sometimes the cause isn't known.
Problems with ovulating. Treatment may include taking medicine, such as:
Clomiphene. It stimulates your ovaries to release eggs.
Metformin. It's used to treat polycystic ovary syndrome.
Unexplained infertility. If your doctor can't find out why you and your partner haven't been able to get pregnant, treatment may include:
Clomiphene.
Hormone injections.
Insemination.
Blocked or damaged tubes. If your fallopian tubes are blocked, treatment may include tubal surgery.
Endometriosis Endometriosis . If mild to moderate endometriosis seems to be the main reason for your infertility, treatment may include laparoscopic surgery to remove endometrial tissue growth.
 This treatment may not be an option if you have severe endometriosis. For more information, see the topic Endometriosis.
Treatment for the man
Your doctor might recommend that you try insemination first. The sperm are collected and then concentrated to increase the number of healthy sperm for insemination.
When initial treatments don't work
Many couples who have
problems getting pregnant arrive at a common point: They must decide whether they want to try assisted reproductive technology (ART). In vitro fertilization (IVF) is the most common type of ART. In this treatment, a fertilized egg or eggs are placed in the woman's uterus through the cervix.
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection, or ICSI. In a lab, your doctor injects one sperm into one egg. If fertilization occurs, the doctor puts the embryo into the woman's uterus.
If you haven't already thought about adoption, this might be a time to think about it. Some couples decide at this point to spend their resources on adoption instead of IVF. Other couples see IVF as the best option.
Fertility treatment clinics
Fertility treatment clinics aren't widely available in some parts of the country, especially in rural areas. You may need to travel for treatment.
When you review clinic success rates, be aware that clinics treating more severe fertility problems may have lower success rates. So it's possible for a clinic with a lower success rate to have greater overall expertise than clinics with higher success rates.
The success rate of a clinic is influenced by many things, including the doctors' skills and experience and the cause or causes of your fertility problem.
When you review treatment success rates, remember that live birth rates are always lower than ovulation and pregnancy rates.
Miscarriages are common among all women. But they are more likely in women with risk factors such as older age or a poorly controlled chronic health condition.
Fertility problems - prevention
Some fertility problems are related to lifestyle or other health conditions. To help protect your fertility:
Avoid using tobacco (cigarettes) and marijuana. They reduce fertility, especially by reducing sperm counts.
Avoid exposure to harmful chemicals.
Avoid excessive alcohol use. It may damage eggs or sperm.
Limit sex partners and use condoms to reduce the risk of getting a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Untreated STIs can damage the reproductive system and cause infertility. If you think you may have an STI, get treatment promptly to reduce the risk of damage to your reproductive system.
Stay at a body weight that is close to the ideal for your height. It will reduce the possibility of hormone imbalances. This is very important for men as well as for women.
If you have been diagnosed with cancer and hope to have children in the future, talk to your doctor about preventing cancer treatment-related infertility.
Fertility problems - home treatment

To decrease your risk of fertility problems and increase your chances of becoming pregnant, use the following guidelines.
Track ovulation at home
Estimate when you are ovulating by practicing fertility awareness. This means:
Tracking your cervical mucus changes.
Tracking your basal body temperature on a monthly Fahrenheit temperature chart or Celsius temperature chart.
Tracking your luteinizing hormone (LH) levels with a home ovulation predictor test. Many doctors now recommend these home tests as the best way to track ovulation at home.
Try this interactive tool to calculate your peak fertility .
Try having sex every day or every other day during a woman's fertile period. This can improve the chance of pregnancy.
If you exercise strenuously most days of the week, reduce your level of activity. Very strenuous exercise can cause women to ovulate less often.
Protect sperm count and quality
If you use a vaginal lubricant during sex, select one that doesn't kill or damage sperm.
If you exercise strenuously most days of the week, reduce your level of activity. Very strenuous exercise may be a cause of lower sperm counts in some men.
Avoid hot tubs and saunas. High scrotal temperatures may decrease sperm count and quality.
Try to relieve fever when you are ill. High fever has been known to have a harmful effect on sperm for 2 to 3 months afterward. (Sperm take this long to grow from germ cells to mature sperm.)
General measures
Women who are trying to get pregnant should avoid using alcohol and medicines, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and aspirin.
Source: WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise