MyFertilityGuide

What is a Fertility Clinic?

A fertility clinic is dedicated to helping hopeful parents overcome infertility and conceive a child. They provide the medical facilities, information and treatment necessary to make that happen. Some offer counseling and educational services as well while others focus on the donors of eggs and sperm for infertile couples.

What Services Does a Fertility Clinic Provide?

The services provided vary depending upon the equipment and facilities available at each infertility clinic. In general, any fertility clinic should be able to provide you with:

• Infertility evaluation – A medical history is taken and a complete physical is undergone by both partners to help pinpoint the cause of infertility.
• Routine infertility workup –To definitively state the cause of infertility, a number of tests for diseases, disorders and other dysfunctions that may be the cause.
• Semen analysis – Part of an infertility workup, this male factor infertility test uses a semen sample to analyze sperm characteristics including count, motility and physical shape. Problems with low sperm count, slow speed, or abnormally shaped sperm can decrease a couple’s chance for conception.
• Post-coital test – A common but not mandatory test done as part of an infertility workup, this tests the ability of sperm to travel and live in the cervical mucus. If the sperm is unable to survive in the cervical mucus, then in vitro fertilization may be the only chance for pregnancy.
• Hormone evaluation – Part of the infertility workup, this female factor infertility test is used to determine hormone levels achieved at different phases of the menstrual cycle. If hormones do not rise to appropriate levels, then egg development, ovulation or implantation of a fertilized egg may not occur making conception impossible.
• Hysterosalpingogram – Also known as an HSG, this is an x-ray of the uterus and fallopian tubes to expose abnormalities like blockages, adhesions or scarring that may inhibit conception. If tubes have been blocked purposely, this test can help pinpoint the exact location of the blockage in order to reverse the procedure.
• Endometrial biopsy – A sample of the endometrial lining is taken in order to analyze levels of estrogen and progesterone, two hormones that stabilize the endometrial tissue and protect and nourish the fertilized egg. If these levels are low, fertilized eggs will not be able to implant.
• Laparoscopic procedures – If the HSG reveals scarring, fibroids or misplaced endometrial tissue, then a laparoscopic surgery can be done to remove them. In other cases, a laparoscopy may be done to ascertain whether or not these condition do exist. If found, these problems may be taken care of immediately.
• In vitro fertilization – The process of fertilizing an egg outside of the woman’s body with sperm washed and prepared ahead of time as well as the procedural fertilization of the woman with this fertilized egg are performed on site at the fertility clinic.