Fertility Q&A - Answering Your Most Common Questions

How will I know if I need fertility treatment?

People are often surprised by how long it can take to become pregnant when you want to have a child. For most couples, we recommend trying to conceive naturally for one full year before seeking medical assistance. This may seem like a long time, but as it can take several months for perfectly normal, healthy couples to get pregnant, it is important to try to be patient and realize that, in the majority of cases, there is absolutely nothing to be worried about.

The exception to this standard involves couples in which one or both partners currently have or have had any condition that is known to interfere with fertility. Learn more by visiting our page about when to see a reproductive endocrinologist.

Is male factor infertility more common than female infertility?

In about one third of cases, male factor infertility is the sole source of reproductive problems. In roughly another third, the problem is a result of female infertility. The rest of the time, both the male and female contribute to infertility. So, male and female factors are more or less equal in their frequency.

Male factor infertility, however, is easier to identify and to treat, in most cases. For this reason, semen analysis is often the first testing procedure to be performed when a couple begins fertility assessment.

How does age affect fertility?

A woman's fertility peaks in her early twenties, declining gradually by about 30, and steeply after 35. Contemporary women are often surprised and frustrated to learn this, as 35-year-old women are still quite young, by most standards. Women who are in their mid to late thirties and wanting to have children are likely to have more trouble than women who are having children during their mid to late twenties. The need for fertility assistance is even more common among women who have reached their forties.

Because men continue to produce sperm throughout their reproductive lives, while women are born with all of the eggs they will ever have, age is not as significant a factor in male fertility problems, although it may still play a role.

Will my insurance cover my fertility treatment?

Whether or not fertility treatment can be covered by insurance depends on the provider and the policy. Most insurance plans do not cover testing or treatment procedures for fertility problems. Certain types of procedures, however, may be covered for different reasons (surgery to treat endometriosis, for example). Check with your insurance provider to find out whether your particular medical expenses can be fully or partially covered. Because there are so many fertility patients who do not have insurance coverage for their treatment, IVF FLORIDA Reproductive Associates offers patients access to IntegraMed's® Attain™ IVF Program, as well as other financing options, to help reduce the risk and burden of cost for couples trying to have children.

Will I need a high-risk OB-GYN after conceiving with IVF?

Just because a woman has trouble getting pregnant does not necessarily mean she will have trouble being pregnant. Most women who conceive through in vitro fertilization go on to have very normal, routine, healthy pregnancies. As long as there are no additional factors that require the attention of a high-risk obstetrician, the majority of IVF patients can continue seeing a normal OB-GYN.

Complications that indicate the need for a high-risk OB-GYN include multiple pregnancy (especially with three or more fetuses), certain pre-existing medical conditions, and a personal history of miscarriage or complicated pregnancy.