Female Infertility - Causes and Treatment

Female Infertility is a common problem in the United States.  Approximately 6,000,000 U.S. women are presently diagnosed with infertility. Forty percent (2.4 million) are infertile due to “mechanical” causes such as blocked fallopian tubes, scarring or adhesions. Another forty percent have “medical or hormonal” infertility, such as premature ovarian failure. Twenty percent are diagnosed infertile due to “unexplained” causes, often a combination of the other two.

There are two types of female infertility treatment:

1. natural treatment methods, and
2. assisted reproductive techniques (ART) such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), GIFT, ICSI, etc.

Both have shown varying levels of success helping infertile couples conceive. Generally neither choice invalidates the other, and it is often possible to pursue both simultaneously, perhaps with better results than either affords on its own.

The Natural Approach

The natural approach has obvious appeal since it involves no surgery or drugs. The low risk associated with natural approaches is sometimes offset by the fact that some natural methods have not been investigated scientifically nor validated in published, peer reviewed studies.

There is no substitute for scientific validity. Although supported by anecdotal stories of success (e.g., "it worked for a woman I read about") most natural approaches have not passed medical review.

Only three "natural" female infertility treatments have been scientifically tested, measured and published in peer reviewed medical journals.

1. Group counseling improved natural fertility rates, in a 1992 study authored by Harvard psychologist Alice Domar, Ph.D. ¹
2. Acupuncture performed 25 minutes before and after IVF transfer increased IVF success rates in a German study published in 2002. ²
3. The Wurn Technique® (patent pending), a unique manual physical therapy treatment developed over 20 years by Clear Passage Physical Therapy® clinicians, was shown to improve both natural and IVF success rates in scientific studies published in 2004. ³

 

Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART)

Assisted reproductive techniques (ART) such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) have a long history of success. The first child ever born through fertilization which occurred outside the body took place in 1978. Great advances have been made since that transfer, and the success rates for procedures such as IVF seem to grow steadily, every year.

ART techniques (including IUI, IVF, GIFT , ZIFT and ICSI) are performed by gynecologists, often with additional specialty degrees in reproductive endocrinology. These techniques have been extensively studied, measured and refined. While the techniques carry the risks normally associated with surgery and pharmaceuticals, their validity and methods are regularly published in medical journals. Each year, success rates for participating US clinics are published by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).

Most surgical techniques such as IVF are performed by taking sperm and eggs from the couple wishing to become parents, uniting them in a sterile laboratory, and transferring the fertilized egg back into the uterus or fallopian tube of the woman who wants to become pregnant. In some cases, reproductive endocrinologists suggest patients use sperm or eggs from other people, or find a surrogate mother to carry and bear their child.

After carefully researching your options, answers to the difficult, often agonizing choices facing you will become more apparent. Once you fully understand your choices, you can use your heart, mind, and “inner voice” to discover which choice, or combination, makes the most sense for you and your partner.

To assist our readers, we have divided parts of this website into two tracts: Natural and Assisted female infertility treatment. Regardless of your initial inclination, we suggest you read both tracts, to get a more complete picture. Once you understand both options, your path will generally begin to open up before you.

We wish you the best in your journey and pledge to do our best to help you achieve the goals of your heart – and your life.

 

1. Domar AD, Clapp D, Slwasby EA, Dusek J, Kessel B, & Freizinger M. Impact of group psychological interventions on pregnancy rates in infertile women. Fertility and Sterility, 2000; 73 (4), 805-11. PMID 10731544.
2. Paulus WE, Zhang M, Strehler E, El-Danasouri I, & Sterzik K. Influence of acupuncture on the pregnancy rate in patients who undergo assisted reproduction therapy.Fertility and Sterility, 2002; 77(4), 721-4. PMID 11937123.
3. Wurn BF, Wurn LJ, King CR, Heuer MA, Roscow AS, Scharf ES, Shuster JJ. Treating Female Infertility and Improving IVF Pregnancy Rates with a Manual Physical Therapy Technique. Med Gen Med 2004 Jun 18; 6(2): 51. PMID 15266276.