SOLUTIONS TO INFERTILITY....... Treatments and drugs How your infertility is treated depends on the cause, your age, how long you’ve been infertile and personal preferences. Because infertility is a complex disorder, treatment involves significant financial, physical, psychological and time commitments. Although some women need just one or two therapies to restore fertility, it’s possible that several different types of treatment may be needed before you’re able to conceive. Treatments can either attempt to restore fertility — by means of medication or surgery — or assist in reproduction with sophisticated techniques. 1. Fertility restoration: Stimulating ovulation with fertility drugs. Fertility drugs, which regulate or induce ovulation, are the main treatment for women who are infertile due to ovulation disorders. In general, they work like the natural hormones — follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) — to trigger ovulation. They are also used in women who ovulate to try to stimulate a better egg or an extra egg or eggs. Fertility drugs may include: Clomiphene citrate. Gonadotropins. Metformin. Letrozole. Bromocriptine. 2. Fertility restoration: Surgery Several surgical procedures can correct problems or otherwise improve female fertility. However, surgical treatments for fertility are rare these days now that other fertility treatments have high success. They include: Laparoscopic or hysteroscopic surgery. Tubal ligation reversal surgery (microscopic). Tubal surgeries. 3. Reproductive assistance The most commonly used methods of reproductive assistance include: Intrauterine insemination (IUI). During IUI, millions of healthy sperm are placed inside the uterus close to the time of ovulation. Assisted reproductive technology. These methods involve retrieving mature eggs from a woman, fertilizing them with a man’s sperm in a dish in a lab, then transferring the embryos into the uterus after fertilization. IVF is the most effective assisted reproductive technology. An IVF cycle takes several weeks and requires frequent blood tests and daily hormone injections. Preventions If you’re a woman thinking about getting pregnant soon or in the future, you may improve your chances of having normal fertility if you: Maintain a normal weight. Overweight and underweight women are at increased risk of ovulation disorders. If you need to lose weight, exercise moderately. Strenuous, intense exercise of more than seven hours a week has been associated with decreased ovulation. Quit smoking. Tobacco has multiple negative effects on fertility, not to mention your general health and the health of a fetus. If you smoke and are considering pregnancy, quit now. Avoid alcohol. Heavy alcohol use may lead to decreased fertility. And any alcohol use can affect the health of a developing fetus. If you’re planning to become pregnant, avoid alcohol, and don’t drink alcohol while you’re pregnant. Reduce stress. Some studies have shown that couples experiencing psychological stress had poorer results with infertility treatment. If you can, find a way to reduce stress in your life before trying to become pregnant. Limit caffeine. Some physicians suggest limiting caffeine intake to less than 200 to 300 milligrams a day