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Fertility and Reproductive Medicine

What is Fertility and Reproductive Medicine?

  • Fertility refers to the ability to conceive and sustain a pregnancy; reproductive health encompasses the health of the reproductive system and related functions.

Factors Affecting Fertility

  • Female factors: Ovulatory disorders, endometriosis, tubal disease, uterine abnormalities
  • Male factors: Sperm production/function disorders, hormonal causes, varicocele
  • Shared factors: Age, lifestyle (smoking, alcohol), obesity, medical conditions, certain treatments (e.g. chemotherapy)

When Infertility May Be Considered

  • Commonly evaluated after 12 months of trying to conceive without success (earlier evaluation may be considered in some cases, such as age >35 or known risk factors).

Fertility Evaluation and Treatment

  • Evaluation May Include
    • Hormonal testing
    • Ovulation assessment
    • Semen analysis
    • Imaging and reproductive tract evaluation
    • Assessment for underlying conditions (e.g. PCOS, fibroids, endometriosis)

Treatment

  • Lifestyle optimization and ovulation induction
  • Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
  • In vitro fertilization (IVF)
  • Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)
  • Surgery for selected causes of infertility

Fertility Preservation Options

  • Egg freezing
  • Embryo freezing
  • Sperm banking
  • Ovarian tissue freezing (selected cases)

Who May Consider Preservation

  • People undergoing cancer treatment
  • Those with medical conditions affecting fertility
  • Individuals delaying parenthood
  • People considering treatments that may affect reproductive potential
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