If you have been trying to get pregnant without success for more than a year, or for more than six months if you are over the age of 35, it may be time to visit a fertility specialist.

Before you see a doctor, however, make sure you have done everything in your power to get pregnant.

• Are you tracking your menstrual cycles and using some method to ensure you are having sex at or around your time of ovulation?
• Does an ovulation predictor kit show that you are ovulating normally?

If this is the case, a fertility specialist should be able to help you pin down the reason you have not been able to conceive and discuss methods that will help you conceive or make a pregnancy possible. Statistics show that 85 percent of all infertility cases are curable.

Testing for Him

The doctor first will take down your medical history. Testing typically begins with the male, because his test involves a simple semen analysis. The analysis will look for sperm count, healthy movement of the sperm, and the shape and maturity of the sperm cells to determine the quality. The semen’s consistency and volume will be analyzed – approximately one teaspoon is considered normal. The pH balance will be tested – it should be slightly alkaline to survive in the environment of the cervix.

If the test results show abnormalities, a doctor specializing in male infertility will repeat the exam two times over the next three months. Many different factors – from a fever or illness to sexually transmitted diseases – can affect sperm count. Additionally, intense physical activity – and especially bicycle riding – can reduce sperm count, as can high temperatures, such as those experienced in a hot tub. Even wearing briefs instead of boxers can create a warm environment in the testes that can lower sperm count.

If the next two exams bring abnormal results, your partner will be referred to a urologist, who will perform the following tests:

• A sperm antibody test

• Hormonal blood tests

• Testicular biopies to determine if he is sterile

• Vasography which checks for any obstructions

• Fructose test

• Bovine cervical mucus test which checks the sperm’s ability to penetrate cervical mucus from cows

• Hamster egg test which determines sperm penetration strength. This test is important, because if his sperm can’t penetrate the egg, in vitro fertilization will not be successful.

Testing for Her

If your partner’s semen analysis results are normal, or if all of the tests performed by the urologist show no problems, testing begins for you. A gynecologist specializing in reproductive endocrinology can take you through this stage of fertility testing.

The doctor will first view both of your charts and review your medical history, paying particular attention to past surgeries such as appendicitis, myomectomies or fibroid surgery, and any STDs on record. He will ask about your menstrual cycle – if you’ve ever had irregular periods, etc., and he will ask about your contraceptive history. He will then conduct interviews with both of you, either together or separately.

He will ask you both questions about previous pregnancies and their outcomes, as well as how long you’ve been trying to get pregnant. He will also ask many lifestyle questions including:

• Frequency of sex

• Do you use any recreational drugs?

• Do you smoke?

• How often do you drink alcohol?

• How healthy is your diet?

• Do you exercise regularly? How often and what activities?

• Have you experienced any stressful events recently, such as a death or new job?

It may be tempting to lie when you answer some of these questions but your honest answers will help your doctor discover the cause of your infertility and make changes that will help you get pregnant.

Your exam includes a complete physical, including an internal, when the doctor will examine your ovaries for signs of problems such as PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), endometriosis, and PID. An ultrasound may be performed to check the condition of the fallopian tubes and ovaries.

Additionally, blood work will be done or scheduled to check reproductive and thyroid hormone levels and to test for STDs.

A visit to a fertility specialist can be a stressful experience, but knowing what to expect and being prepared can help alleviate some of your concerns, as well as make your visit go smoothly.

How can you prepare?

• Bring a list of questions you and your partner want to ask

• Be prepared with your families’ medical histories and your own medical histories

• Be prepared with information about your menstrual cycle, including ovulation dates from charting your cycle for at least three months.

Author: Dawn Allcot

When a couple is trying to conceive, thoughts of ovulation dates, cervical mucus (isn’t that a romantic term?), and pre-natal vitamins often over-ride the most fun aspect of making a baby: having regular sex!

Couples can—and do—conceive in any position imaginable. There is no medical evidence to support the fact that certain sexual positions encourage conception. With millions of sperm approaching the cervix after every ejaculation, barring any medical problems the most tenacious one will eventually reach the egg regardless of whether or not you are “helping it out” by lying down, standing on your head or propping your hips up on a pillow.

However, certain positions do keep semen from leaking out of your vagina and also keep sperm in your cervix longer. They might even encourage the flow of sperm into your fallopian tubes. If you are trying to conceive, why not give gravity a helping hand?

Old Wives’ Tales say that standing on your head or lying with your legs up over your head immediately following intercourse will help the sperm travel up your body. This hasn’t been medically proven, but it couldn’t hurt, either. Then again, if you are not physically agile enough to successfully execute the maneuver, it could hurt.

Lying down for 15 minutes after sex offers the same benefit of keeping more sperm in your body. Besides, why jump up right after sex? If anything, it’s a good excuse to cuddle for 15 minutes and bask in the afterglow.

Additionally, intercourse with a pillow beneath your hips will tilt your cervix in such a way that it might “help” the sperm travel to their destination.

Keeping gravity in mind, positions that could make it harder to get pregnant include:

• Standing

• Sitting

• Any position with the woman on top

These positions cause semen to leak out of the vagina, meaning that less sperm will embark on the journey up to the egg.

Ultimately, timing has a lot more to do with getting pregnant than position does, but trying out new positions under the guise of “helping the sperm reach the egg” might keep baby-making sex interesting if it begins to feel like a chore.

Another Old Wives’ Tale says that if the woman has an orgasm during sex – particularly after or while her partner ejaculates — she is more likely to conceive. Uterine contractions that take place during an orgasm help “push” the sperm toward the fallopian tubes.

In reality, painless uterine contractions occur involuntarily all the time, and are more pronounced during ovulation, so your body is already giving the sperm some help. Again, having an orgasm in hopes of conception can’t hurt. In fact, striving to achieve orgasm every time you make love is a worthwhile endeavor, whether or not it results in pregnancy.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different positions, strive for orgasm, and help those little swimmers by staying horizontal after sex, but remember that timing is far more important than position when trying to conceive.

Author: Dawn Allcot