Fertility Treatment
Fertility Treatment Plans in New York, NY
If you’re considering any kind of surgery, you likely feel confused, anxious, or even afraid. When it comes to fertility surgery, it’s common to have a heightened sense of all of these feelings—and you’re likely here to absorb as much reliable information as you can about what you can expect from your surgery.
Choosing to have children is an extremely personal and emotional journey, and if you’ve recently discovered that you may need fertility surgery to make it possible to have a healthy pregnancy, you deserve answers to all of your questions and the best, personalized treatment plan from a team of experts.
What Causes Infertility?
Infertility is defined by not being able to become pregnant after one year of trying or six months if you are 35 or older. It also includes women who have become pregnant but are unable to stay pregnant due to miscarriages or other complications. There are many factors that can contribute to an infertility diagnosis, but our decades of experience show that if you focus on correcting the root cause of the infertility, that is the best way to approach our patients’ fertility challenges and get positive results.
If you’re having difficulty becoming pregnant, the experts at the Manhattan Reproductive Surgery Center can help. Learn more about our practices and schedule an appointment with us today.
How Do We Treat Infertility?
There are many ways and approaches to treating infertility, depending on your specific complications. We can use surgery, artificial insemination, assisted reproductive technology, and various types of medication to help you achieve results. Our doctors will adapt their treatment based on how long you’ve been trying to get pregnant, you and your partner’s age, overall health, various test results, and most importantly, you and your preference. Read more about the importance of fertility surgery here.
Infertility Services
Egg (Oocyte) Retrieval
Eggs (oocytes) are retrieved from patients by transvaginal aspiration directly from the ovarian follicles, approximately 36 hours after an injection of HCG. The egg retrieval process is minimally invasive and will be performed under sedation using intravenous medications to ensure you feel no pain or discomfort. A needle will be guided through your vaginal wall and into the ovary, using ultrasound guidance to retrieve the follicular fluid (which contains the eggs). This fluid is collected into test tubes, then passed to the embryologist (an expert in oocyte cryopreservation). The egg retrieval process takes approximately 20-30 minutes. Once the procedure is complete, you will be transferred to the recovery room to rest for about an hour and will need to have someone available to drive you home.
Embryo Transfer
Embryo Transfer is the final stage of the IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) process. The fertilized egg that has been left to grow for several days (embryo) will be transferred into the uterus with the hope that it will implant, become a fetus and result in the birth of a healthy baby. The doctor will insert a speculum into the woman’s vagina to keep the vaginal walls open. Then, using ultrasound for accuracy, the doctor will pass the embryo through a catheter into the vagina and cervix to deposit the embryo into the uterus. The process is usually pain free and rarely requires any sedatives.
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) is a fertility treatment that involves inserting a high concentration of active sperm directly inside the woman’s uterus to facilitate fertilization. The goal of IUI is to increase the number of sperm that reach the fallopian tubes to fertilize the egg by giving it a headstart. The sperm still has to reach and fertilize the egg on its own. This method is typically used when a woman’s uterus is normal and her fallopian tubes are clear, and also when a male has fertility problems, such as low sperm count or low volume. Depending on the reasons for infertility, IUI can be coordinated with your normal cycle or with fertility medications. The procedure is relatively simple and is performed near the time the patient is ovulating. Your doctor will insert a speculum into your vagina to see the cervix and a catheter will be inserted into the uterus so that the semen sample can be slowly injected. It only takes a few minutes and is typically painless.
Endometrial Biopsy
Endometrial Biopsy is a procedure to remove a small piece of tissue from the endometrium (lining of the uterus). This tissue sample will be given to a pathologist to examine under a microscope. It can help to determine if there are abnormalities of the uterus and to rule out other diseases. A speculum will be placed in the vagina to hold it open so that the cervix can be viewed. An instrument is then gently passed through the cervix into the uterus to collect the tissue sample. An endometrial biopsy can be uncomfortable. Your doctor may recommend that you take ibuprofen or another pain reliever 30 to 60 minutes before the procedure. The biopsy can be performed in your doctor’s office without the use of anesthesia. Typically, the procedure takes about 10 minutes to complete.
Hysterosonography
Hysterosonography is a minimally invasive ultrasound technique that utilizes a saline infusion to better look at the inside of the uterus. Using a thin flexible tube (catheter) inserted into the vagina and through the cervix, your doctor will inject a small amount of sterile saline into the cavity of the uterus and study the lining of the uterus using the ultrasound transducer. This test can be used to investigate uterine abnormalities in women who experience infertility or multiple miscarriages. It is typically performed one week after menstruation and is usually painless but you may be advised to take an over-the-counter medication shortly before the procedure to minimize any potential discomfort.