Treatment choices for unexplained infertility may be based on the results of earlier testing and observations. In certain situations, a couple with unexplained infertility may be able to conceive without any treatment after testing. Fertility doctors may try a number of treatments in other cases.
The following are some of the therapies for infertility that fall into four categories: timing of intercourse, lifestyle variables, medications, and assisted reproductive technology.
In the absence of a definitive cause, treatments for infertility that is unexplained tend to focus on the most likely causes.
The following are some of the most common treatments for unexplained infertility:
- Planned coitus: The timing of intercourse is crucial for conception, especially for couples who are experiencing infertility for no apparent reason. Sexual intercourse will be planned to coincide with the woman’s ovulation in the couple or woman with unexplained infertility. They should also engage in sexual activity on a regular basis. Fertility specialists can advise couples on how to calculate the woman’s ovulation and to have timely intercourse accordingly.
- Lifestyle modification: Women with unexplained infertility should avoid smoking, limit their intake of alcohol and caffeine, and maintain a healthy weight, all of which can help them conceive. Obesity is another something that men should avoid.
- Medications: Clomiphene citrate is frequently used by fertility doctors to treat unexplained infertility because it stimulates a woman’s ovaries to produce more than one egg every menstrual cycle, increasing the chances of fertilisation and pregnancy. This medicine is frequently combined with improved intercourse timing or intrauterine insemination (IUI), a procedure in which a man’s sperm is implanted into a woman’s uterus to promote pregnancy.
Gonadotropin therapy involves raising a woman’s gonadotropin hormone levels, which stimulate egg formation. This causes many eggs to be produced in the same way that Clomiphene citrate does, but faster. This therapy can also be used with IUI by fertility specialists.
In IUI, a fertility doctor injects the male partner’s prewashed sperm into the woman’s uterus. This is performed by inserting a catheter into the uterus through the cervix. IUI guarantees that the sperm reach the top of the uterus and the fallopian tubes in greater quantities.
- Surgical corrections: Several surgical techniques can be used to examine and treat fertility issues.
- Fallopian tube surgery: If your fallopian tubes are blocked or scarred, you may require surgery to fix them. The scar tissue in the fallopian tubes can be broken up by surgery, allowing eggs to travel through more easily. The extent of the damage to the fallopian tubes will determine the success of the procedure. An ectopic pregnancy, which occurs when a fertilised egg implants outside the womb, is one of the risks associated with tubal surgery.
- Surgery to treat endometriosis, fibroids and PCOS: Endometriosis is a condition in which sections of the uterine lining begin to develop outside the womb. Endometriosis is commonly treated through laparoscopic surgery, which involves eliminating or removing cysts, which are fluid-filled sacs. Submucosal fibroids, which are tiny growths in the womb, may also be removed. If ovulation therapy does not work for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a small surgical technique called laparoscopic ovarian drilling can be used.
- Epididymal blockage correction: The epididymis is a coil-like structure that helps store and transport sperm in the testicles. The epididymis can get obstructed at times, preventing sperm from being ejected properly. If the obstruction is causing infertility, surgery can be done to remove it.
- Surgery to retrieve sperm: Surgical extraction of sperm may be an option if you:
- Have a blockage that prevents sperm from being released
- Lacking the tube that discharges sperm from the testicle (vas deferens)
- Having had a vasectomy or a vasectomy reversal that failed
- Assisted reproductive technologies (ART): IVF is an ART treatment for unexplained infertility that has been proven to be more effective than the non-ART procedures. Women with unexplained infertility who undergo ART therapies have a live birth rate of 30-50 percent. However, those percentages are highly dependent on the age of the female partner.
- In-vitro fertilisation (IVF) involves creating embryos outside of the woman’s body in a lab using her retrieved egg(s) and her partner’s sperm, and then transferring the embryo to the woman’s uterus.
- Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a method of artificial insemination that involves washing and concentrating sperm before injecting it into the woman’s uterus around ovulation time.
- ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) may also be done during IVF to aid with sperm quality difficulties. The sperm is injected directly through the outer core of the egg and into the cytoplasm, where fertilisation takes occur.
- Donor egg or embryo: IVF treatment with donated eggs is an option for couples who are unable to conceive using their own eggs. The intended mother receives the embryo created by combining the donor egg and partner’s sperm. This technique can also be carried out using donated sperm or embryos.
Surrogacy (gestational carrier): The embryo is carried to term and delivered by another woman through surrogacy.
Tags: Unexplained Infertility
