Back to Basics
Recently some colleagues and I from Shady Grove Fertility’s Baltimore offices held a seminar on the topic of Understanding Fertility. The seminar was well attended and there were some great questions and discussions afterward. During a one-on-one discussion following the presentation, an attendee commented that she didn’t realize she could “come to Shady Grove Fertility” for anything other than IVF (in vitro fertilization). She was at the beginning stages of considering treatment and she wanted to know options but didn’t feel she was ready for more advanced fertility options at this point.
It was interesting and a really poignant comment because one of the reasons we did this seminar and named it simply “Understanding Fertility” is because we realize sometimes there can be mixed messages regarding what we do (and don’t do) at SGF.
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Fertility is a big topic, there is a lot of jargon and acronyms specific to the industry. Sometimes those of us practicing the discipline need a reminder that patients seeking our assistance in the beginning stages of their journey largely have a limited understanding of the processes and terminology. We tend to speak about diagnosis, success rates and protocols, ovarian function and FSH levels. Our patients however, are thinking in terms of negative pregnancy tests, irregular cycles and the anxiety associated with a failure to conceive. They need to start at the beginning, and that is exactly what we do at Shady Grove Fertility.
Understanding Fertility
There are some specific indicators and conditions that are obvious barriers to conception and raise a red flag to patients and referring physicians. Voluntary sterilization, hysterectomy or prior exposures to chemotherapy to treat various forms of cancer are more obvious conditions which most people realize require the input of a specialist. The more subtle indicators (or sometimes no indicator other than not becoming pregnant) can cause patients reason to pause and wonder if they should see a specialist or take another path such as just giving it more time or seeking help from their primary care or gynecological physician.
To help clarify things, I’d like to offer the following tips:
– Nationally recognized standards state that infertility is defined for women under the age of 35 as 12 months of unprotected intercourse without conception. For women over 35 it is defined as 6 months of unprotected intercourse without conception. If you stopped taking birth control a few years ago but haven’t been actively “trying” you should also consider speaking to your doctor just to be sure everything is okay.
– There are many OB/GYN offices and primary care doctors who are able to assist with the beginning testing or even preliminary treatment for those having difficulty becoming pregnant. Depending on your insurance plan you many need to start with your gyn or primary care physician before being referred to a specialist.
– There are also many insurance plans which don’t require a referral to see a specialist so you should check into your plan specifically in order to understand the requirements. At SGF we never require a referral, we just work within the parameters of what insurance requires.
– SGF is a full service fertility center. We are able to help patients from the very beginning. We perform diagnostic testing, non invasive techniques such as timed intercourse, low tech treatments such as non medicated (or lightly medicated) insemination all the way through to the more invasive processes such as in vitro fertilization or donor egg treatment cycles.
– Many people are surprised to learn that SGF does just as many non invasive insemination cycles as we do IVF cycles. Our expertise is in treating patients using the right treatment with the best success rates at the least expense.
Fertility is all we do at Shady Grove Fertility. We have 29 board certified specialists completely dedicated to the field of reproductive endocrinology. Our experience, expertise and team approach ensure that we are providing the absolute best advice, care and outcomes available, no matter where you are in your fertility journey.
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