When Should You See a Fertility Specialist Instead of Your OB-GYN?

Every couple around the world wishes to start their own family at some point or the other. By family, they mean to bring home a child. But sometimes the process of trying to conceive becomes painful and heartbreaking. Seeing a negative result on your test multiple times can really discourage you and take away your hopes and dreams of becoming parents. In such a situation, who do you go to for help? Well, we are here to answer that for you.

When it comes to gynaecological problems and fertility issues, people usually visit a gynaecologist first in order to figure out what is refraining them from being able to conceive.  While an obstetrician or a gynaecologist can provide you the perfect help in terms of conducting gynaecological exams, contraception, and prenatal care along with some essential fertility treatments, such as prescribing ovulation-inducing medications, they are only good for helping with a healthy pregnancy and not pregnancy itself. Fertility specialists, on the other hand, are experts in diagnosing what issue is creating the obstacle in achieving  pregnancy and suggests treatments such as  in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), or intrauterine insemination (IUI), as per the patient’s condition and needs. 

You should visit a fertility expert when you are having irregular or painful menstrual cycles, having a hard time keeping track of your ovulation days, have had more than one miscarriage or if you or your partner have had an STD in the past. 

Other factors that lead to visiting a fertility specialist can include: 

How Long You’ve Been Trying to Get Pregnant

A couple should be able to conceive within five to six months of having unprotected sex. If you are a couple who have been trying to get pregnant since the past one year and have failed to conceive, then it is time for you to visit a fertility expert. 

Your Medical History

Your medical history can play a huge role in your chances of conceiving. To examine why pregnancy isn’t occurring, it is important to explore four areas that are mainly responsible for making a baby- the eggs, the sperm, the uterus and the fallopian tubes. 

Blockage in the fallopian tubes, PCOS in the uterus, abnormal bleedings and irregular menstrual cycles, certain medications, illnesses such as thyroid, a vitamin D deficiency, a low sperm count, amongst other medical reasons can be a cause of infertility.  

Your Age

Your age is also a factor that may or may not be responsible for your fertility issues. A fertility evaluation is done on patients who are under 35 years of age and have been trying to conceive since a year or on patients who are over 35 years of age and have been trying to conceive since a period of six months. It is always best to start trying in your late twenties or early thirties as the eggs are more fertile and of better quality during those years, in women and the sperm quality, count and swimming speed is good amongst men of that age group. 

Your Partner’s Fertility

With age, the quality of the eggs in a female gets weaker, making it less fertile and sometimes incapable of initiating a successful pregnancy. It is best to start trying before the age of 35 or freeze your eggs if you are planning to have a child later on in life. Other factors leading to infertility amongst females may include cases of Endometriosis, having a hormonal imbalance, being overweight, having been exposed to certain chemicals or radiations, smoking, and cervical mucus issues, amongst others. In males, factors like a weak sperm count, irregular shaped sperms and sperms that lack speed while swimming can lead to the sperm not reaching the egg and can cause male infertility. Habits such as drinking and smoking can affect the quality of your sperm. In cases as such, treatments such as ICSI and IUI can help in transferring healthy sperm to the egg in order to form the embryo and get a positive result.

OB-GYN vs. Fertility Specialist

1. Specialization
   • OB-GYN: Obstetricians deliver infants and care for pregnant women and a gynaecologist is an expert in the female reproductive system who does not treat pregnant patients or assist in childbirth. They specialize in women’s healthcare. 
   • Fertility Specialist: An OB-GYN with knowledge of infertility and reproductive endocrinology is a fertility specialist. They cover areas such as fertility preservation, treatments for infertility, hereditary illnesses that could influence future offspring, and uterine issues.
2. Focus
   • OB-GYN: They assist expectant mothers during their pregnancies, throughout labour, and the immediate postpartum period. They also diagnose, treat, and prevent medical disorders that impact women.
   • Fertility Specialist: Their primary purpose is to support couples and occasionally individuals who want to start families but are unable to do so naturally, due to medical reasons.
3. Diagnosis
   • OB-GYN: The diagnosis done by an OB-GYN will include speculum examinations, sonography (ultrasound), colposcopy, cervical biopsy and endocervical curettage, loop electrosurgical excision procedures, vulvar biopsy, endometrial biopsy, hysteroscopy, and hysterosalpingography (HSG).
   • Fertility Specialist: Following a review of your medical background, fertility specialists will describe the fertility tests you (and your partner, if applicable) will need to undergo. These will comprise physical exams, blood tests, semen analysis, ovulation testing, hysterosalpingography, ovarian reserve testing, other hormone testing and imaging tests.
4. Treatment and services offered
   • OB-GYN: In addition to pelvic examinations, Pap tests, cancer screenings, and diagnosis and treatment for vaginal infections, gynaecologists also provide reproductive and sexual health services. They identify and handle conditions affecting the reproductive system that includes endometriosis, infertility, ovarian cysts, and pelvic pain.
   • Fertility Specialist: Treatments and services offered by them include ovulation cycle tracking, ovulation induction, artificial insemination (IUI), In vitro fertilization (IVF), Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment, time-lapse imaging, Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), fertility surgery, fertility preservation, assisted reproductive treatments such as egg, sperm or embryo donation and fertility treatment for same sex couples.
5. Fertility Care
   • OB-GYN: Regular check-ups and guidance on your reproductive health can be obtained from your OB-GYN. Your OB-GYN is a great resource for basic reproductive treatment and can offer guidance on preconception wellness and the right time to have intercourse, in order to get pregnant. 
   • Fertility Specialist: Fertility specialists provide advanced reproductive treatments for people suffering from infertility. They are the gateway to conceiving a baby for couples or individuals who had given up hope of ever holding their child in their arms. Along with medical treatments, they also provide mental support to their patients to help them stay hopeful and strong throughout the process.
     

How to select the best Fertility center?

In order to undergo the IVF procedure, a couple must commit their time, money and energy. To make it all worth it, it is important that they choose a good fertility clinic that not only listens to their issues and suggests adequate treatments, but also gives them the required mental support to go through the treatment. Progenesis being one of the best IVF sectors in India with leading success rates does exactly that. The IVF center is known to provide the best consultations and services to their patients by explaining in complete details about the treatment procedures and how their problems can be resolved by it.

Steps to follow for choosing the best fertility clinic for you:

1. Research: Looking for the right fertility clinic that is going to cater to your needs is extremely essential. You can go through the reviews of a clinic to find out what other patients had to say about the clinic. It will help you in understanding how the staff treats their patients in that clinic and how many patients have been satisfied by their treatments and got a positive result.
2. Availability of specialists: It is necessary to know that you are being treated under a doctor who knows what he is doing and follows ethical practices. You should ask questions like how many IVF treatments he has conducted before and what is the IVF success rate of that clinic?
3. Consultation: It is best to get a consultation done at the clinic of your choice to know if the treatment you are seeking can be successfully provided to you or not.
4. Diagnosis: After you have made up your mind about the clinic, get a detailed diagnosis done under their experts to know more about the issues that you are facing and get started with the required treatment as soon as possible. 
5. Convenience factors: Other minor factors that might motivate a patient’s decision making in terms of choosing a particular fertility clinic can include the location of the clinic, the cost of the treatments available there, the clinic hours, the waiting list and any special services that the center may provide apart from its fertility treatments.