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Fertility treatment for women with PCOS is typically a two-pronged approach:
1. Weight loss through changes in diet and exercise can increase insulin sensitivity in obese women with PCOS. Sometimes, losing 5-10% of one's body weight can help women with PCOS ovulate on their own because their insulin sensitivity improves.
2. When weight loss is not enough to induce ovulation in women with PCOS, hormonal stimulation is needed. The first line treatment here is Clomid. Clomid typically induces ovulation in 70-80% of women with PCOS, and there is a 15% chance that women who respond to Clomid will have a live birth.
If you have PCOS and you have been struggling to get pregnant, you should seek assistance from a fertility specialist to talk about ways to increase your chances of getting pregnant. Sometimes, simple measures such as weight loss are all that is needed to help you conceive.View Thread

1. Ask your friends, family, colleagues, and physicians if they know other couples who have struggled with infertility, but subsequently conceived with the help of a great specialist. In my opinion, this is often the best route to take when seeking a specialist because your family and friends won't steer you wrong. Chances are if someone you know had a great experience with their fertility specialist, you will, too.
2. Find out a clinic's live birth success rates. This is usually easy to obtain because most fertility clinics report their success rates annually. A clinic's live birth rate can give you an idea of how effective their treatment protocols are and whether their laboratory is any good. In the end, it's only natural to seek assistance from someone who can help you get pregnant!
3. Meet with a few specialists before deciding on "the one." Choosing the right fertility specialist for you can take time. For some, this realization may come sooner as it becomes obvious that not all fertility specialists offer the same fertility services or have the same bedside manner. Remember, from start to finish, you will probably spend more time with your specialist than your partner. So, you want to make sure that your specialist is going to be by your side for the long haul and is readily accessible.
Needless to say, trying to get pregnant can be stressful and emotionally taxing especially when prior attempts have failed. Finding the right fertility specialist for you can take time, but it should always be your first step when you need help starting a family.View Thread

When timing does not appear to be an issue, implementing certain lifestyle changes may help to enhance natural conception. Extremes of weight (i.e. too thin or too heavy) can negatively affect fertility. We need a certain amount of body fat to reproduce and anything above or below this threshold can affect fertility. Implementing a healthy diet and regular exercise, 30 minutes per day five times a week, can sometimes help couples achieve their goal of pregnancy.
In addition, couples who are trying to conceive should not smoke and should limit their caffeine and alcohol intake. Smoking can reduce one's chance of getting pregnant by 50%, and increased caffeine intake (more than 5 cups/day) has been linked to longer times for conception and increased miscarriage rates. The effect of alcohol on natural conception is less clear, but excess alcohol consumption during pregnancy is associated with fetal alcohol syndrome.
Sometimes, just by implementing these few things, couples are able to conceive on their own without any assistance.View Thread

A lot of what we know about the effects of stress on fertility comes from research on in vitro fertilization. Studies have shown that infertile women under a lot of stress have lower success rates during their in vitro fertilization cycles (i.e. lower egg yield and pregnancy rates) than women under less stress. Furthermore, when stress reduction methods are implemented in this population (i.e. acupuncture) pregnancy rates have been shown to be higher.
Trying to get pregnant can be nerve racking, especially if prior attempts have failed, and finding ways to relieve stress may be helpful. This is a great time to take up a new hobby, exercise, try yoga, read a good book, or just shop. Anything goes here, as long as it helps you not to obsess over your struggles with fertility. This may also be a good time to share your concerns and experiences with your partner, friends, or a trained professional, so that you do not feel as though you are going through this alone.View Thread


In order to conceive, you have to ovulate and ovulation can be difficult to predict when your cycles are irregular. If you do not ovulate regularly, your physician or a specialist can prescribe hormones that induce follicular growth and development and that help to release the egg. I recommend that you contact your physician to discuss your next step.View Thread

Earlier evaluation is warranted if the female partner has irregular menstrual cycles, a history of pelvic infections or endometriosis, suspected male infertility, or recurrent pregnancy loss. Furthermore, women over age 35 should see a specialist if they have been trying to conceive for more than 6 months or earlier if clinically indicated.
One's chance of having a child decreases with age and duration of the infertility. When in doubt, seek help from a fertility specialist. Some simple tests can be offered to help you determine if there is a reason as to why you have not gotten pregnant yet.View Thread
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