Finding a way to have children after having no success can be a daunting experience and for many families, seeking fertility assistance is the only option if starting a family is their goal. An infertility doctor is the first step to finding the right means to start your family and there are many fertility clinics nationwide that can help. An infertility doctor can answer many of your questions and help you to understand what options you have available to you.



If you are desirous of having children and underwent a tubal ligation or vasectomy, an infertility doctor can help you to find the right procedure to suit your situation. You can undergo a tubal reversal procedure which realigns the fallopian or vas deferens tubes if you are otherwise fertile, healthy, and/or able to conceive naturally. If not, then you may be able to undergo in vitro fertilization, which takes eggs and sperm from the body and combines them in a special fertility lab. The embryos are then placed in the uterus, which allows them to possibly attach to the uterine lining. This procedure is usually an option if repeat surgery to fix tubal ligation or vasectomy is not a reasonable or desired choice.

Another option that an infertility doctor may mention and discuss is surrogacy. For parents-to-be, not having the ability to conceive naturally or who are infertile, using a surrogate option may be the best choice. In this case, both the egg and sperm of the parent's to be are placed in the uterus of the surrogate mother. If the mother-to-be is infertile, the surrogate mother can be a relative of the mother who is willing to have one of her eggs fertilized with the sperm of the father-to-be. Likewise, if the father-to-be is infertile, the infertility doctor can suggest the use of a sperm donor. Using surrogacy is a great option for infertile couples, or those who are not desirous of physically going through pregnancy.

Another option is intrauterine insemination which allows for concentrated amounts of the father-to-be's sperm to be planted into the mother-to-be's uterus for an increased likelihood of conception. This option is generally less expensive yet not necessarily a higher success rate offering choice. An infertility doctor can advise you on what methods have higher success rates given certain circumstances. Intrauterine insemination is best for couples who are fertile and healthy, perhaps even younger in age, but who have had challenges conceiving and have been trying for about a year or more without any success.

Another option that an infertility doctor may mention is the option of gender selection or preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). Parents-to-be who are opting to use in vitro fertilization may have the embryos that are least likely to contribute to birth defects and diseases that have genetic markers selected for insertion into the uterus of the mother-to-be. Also, the gender of the child may be chosen for those family members who may have a preference or who have already had more children of one gender and would like to have one of the other. These are all options that an infertility doctor can discuss with you.