Infertility Care

If you are under 35 years of age and you've been trying for at least year, you should book an infertility consultation. You might also book one sooner if you have other underlying issues. If you are over 35 and have been trying for six months, you should book a consultation. 

It can be hard to tell whether you’re infertile. Often there aren’t any signs of infertility, except for not being able to get pregnant or stay pregnant. The only way to know for sure is to meet with a doctor and get infertility testing.

Don’t wait a year to talk to your doctor if you or your partner have a history of:

• ectopic pregnancy
• irregular period
• pelvic inflammatory disease
• repeated miscarriages
• thyroid problems
• cystic fibrosis
• injury or trauma to your scrotum and testes
• problems getting an erection
• problems ejaculating

There are lots of possible causes of infertility. Some common reasons for infertility in people with a uterus include:

• not ovulating (not releasing eggs from your ovaries)
• fallopian tube(s) blockage so sperm can’t get to your egg
• poor egg quality
• the shape of your uterus makes it hard for a fertilized egg to implant
• endometriosis
• uterine fibroids
• untreated STD/STI

The most common causes of infertility in people with testes include:

• low sperm count (not having enough sperm in your semen)
• poor sperm motility (when sperm doesn’t swim well enough to reach an egg)
• sperm that aren’t formed correctly
• semen that’s too thick for sperm to easily move around in it
• having too much or too little of the hormones that help your body make sperm
• no sperm in your semen
• blockage in the tubes of your penis or testicles causing ejaculation issues
• untreated STD/STI

There are certain health and lifestyle factors that can increase your chances of having fertility problems.

• overheated testicles (from wearing clothing that’s too tight, or swimming or bathing in hot water often and recently)
• excessive drug or alcohol use
• smoking cigarettes
• being very overweight or underweight
• a history of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
• not getting recommended testing for chlamydia/gonorrhea
• injury to the scrotum and testes
• having an undescended testicle
• chemotherapy or radiation
• lots of exposure to environmental toxins, like lead or pesticides
• being older than 35 (for people with uteruses)

Secondary infertility is when you can't get pregnant or carry a baby to term again, even after experiencing no issues with giving birth previously.  Secondary infertility shares many of the same causes as primary infertility but can be more challenging to diagnose due to the success of prior pregnancies.

Secondary infertility can be stressful and often comes as a surprise. If it is taking you longer to conceive than it did for your previous pregnancies, it’s a good idea to consider having you or your partner checked.

Sometimes there’s no known reason for infertility — this is called unexplained infertility. Unexplained infertility can be frustrating, but there are still usually treatment options that you can try.

One of the best ways to increase your chances of getting pregnant is knowing what days you ovulate (when you’re most likely to get pregnant) and planning vaginal sex or insemination around those days.

You can use a fertility chart to keep track of your cycle and when you’re most fertile (like your body temperature, changes in your cervical mucus, and your menstrual cycle). There are apps that can make it easy to chart your cycle and figure out your fertile days.

You can also use ovulation predictor kits — urine tests that tell you when you’re ovulating. You can buy ovulation predictor tests in the drugstore, usually near the pregnancy tests. Ovulation predictor tests look for a hormone called luteinizing hormone, which increases in your body right before you ovulate.

If you’re thinking about getting pregnant soon, visit your local Planned Parenthood health center for a preconception visit. We can give you more tips on increasing your chances of getting pregnant and help make sure you have the healthiest pregnancy you can.

Having trouble getting or staying pregnant can be devastating and frustrating for people who want to have a baby.  

The first thing to remember is that infertility is common. In fact, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 5 women in the U.S. between the ages of 15-49 with no prior births, are unable to get pregnant after one year of trying.  

Caring for your emotional health throughout the process of trying to get pregnant is just as important as staying physically healthy, but it’s easier said than done. One of the hardest parts of infertility is dealing with the emotional ups and downs.  

Click here to learn tips from our Mental Health Program Director and our Basic Infertility Care Director on what you can do to cope with the stress of infertility. Remember: you are not alone.