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According to Samuel Thatcher, M.D. PhD., author of "Making a Baby: Everything You Need to Know to Get Pregnant", infertility is a female issue about as often as it's a male issue – 35% of the time both ways. 20% of the time it's due to problems for both partners and 10% of the time it remains undiagnosed. However because conception happens in a woman's body, most fertility treatment will initially focus on her.

First Steps

For many women, infertility treatment begins with a prescription for the "aspirin of fertility drugs" – clomiphene citrate, marketed...

According to Samuel Thatcher, M.D. PhD., author of "Making a Baby: Everything You Need to Know to Get Pregnant", infertility is a female issue about as often as it's a male issue – 35% of the time both ways. 20% of the time it's due to problems for both partners and 10% of the time it remains undiagnosed. However because conception happens in a woman's body, most fertility treatment will initially focus on her.

First Steps

For many women, infertility treatment begins with a prescription for the "aspirin of fertility drugs" – clomiphene citrate, marketed as Clomida® and Serophene®. Clomiphene boosts ovulation so it's important to rule out other issues before using it. For example, women who are not conceiving because of blocked fallopian tubes will not be helped by Clomiphene.

Many women are prescribed Clomiphene while under the care of their primary care physician or gynecologist, and could be referred to a reproductive endocrinologist (RE) for further treatment. REs receive additional schooling to understand how to treat fertility problems. An RE will give you a full workup, including a battery of hormonal screenings and diagnostic tests to examine the health of your fallopian tubes, ovaries, and uterus.

All board-certified gynecologists are also qualified to perform the initial workup and physical exam, and to order or perform the laboratory and radiologic tests required. In fact, many gynecologists routinely perform this evaluation and prescribe Clomiphene citrate because there are no reproductive endocrinologists near where they practice.

Next Steps

After Clomiphene, the two most common fertility treatments are:

• Intrauterine insemination (IUI): An IUI is done in-office where the doctor deposits the sperm directly into the uterus.
• In-vitro fertilization (IVF): Ovulatory-stimulation drugs help the woman's body produce several eggs. The eggs are removed through her vagina under ultrasound guidance and carefully combined with sperm. If fertilization occurs, the resulting embryos are placed back in the woman's uterus.
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