The traditional medical definition of infertility is “not getting pregnant after 12 months of unprotected intercourse, if you are under 35 years of age and 6 months of trying if you are over 35 unless there are conditions such as, but not limited to, undiagnosed male or female conditions such as blocked fallopian tubes or poor quality sperm. It is important to consult your physician, gynecologist to see if a referral is needed to an infertility specialist physician (REI) based on the challenges you are experiences with getting pregnant. Sometimes sexual problems in the relationship can become a barrier to having a child.
This infertility definition is based on the traditional view of a man and woman trying to get pregnant, but today there are so many variations of “trying to get pregnant,” such as:
- single women
- two women
- single men
- two men
- multiple parent configurations
The above parental configurations can get help from:
- anonymous egg donors
- known egg donors
- gestational carriers paid
- gestational carriers volunteer
- anonymous sperm donors
- known sperm donors
- multiple combinations of the above
All couples are different and some aren’t couples but rather single women or men trying to get pregnant on their own with donor sperm or known donor sperm. Same sex couples have many options. Some male/female couples chose to reproduce without sexual intercourse.
There is no right or wrong way to get pregnant. Fortunately medical care provides an increasingly vast array of options for those trying to get pregnant regardless of the method or family configuration.
Infertility treatment is often a stressful process medically, emotionally and financially. This treatment is different from many other forms of medical treatment in terms of its duration, complexity and emotional challenges. Infertility treatment can take weeks of visits for each treatment cycle based on the female menstrual cycle. The treatment can be expensive and there can be confusing treatment choices tied to even more confusing financing schemes.