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[Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or medical practitioner. Any medical information is strictly my opinion based on research and personal experience, and not to be taken as advice. Always seek the advice of a licensed physician for your medical needs. Read my full disclaimer here.]
When your doctor recommends IUI or IVF as the next step, do you have any other options at that point? (Or even if you’ve already had a failed IUI or IVF, where do you go from there?)
After over a year of trying to get pregnant, the fertility specialist my OB referred me to suggested I begin IUI immediately. If 3 rounds didn’t work, she said, we’d move on to IVF.
I decided not to take her advice.
I have a feeling I’m not the only one who is hesitant to jump right into assisted reproductive techniques — be it IUI or IVF or whatever — for a number of reasons. Personally, I didn’t know if I was ready quite yet to wrestle with all of the decisions that come with IUI and IVF. Not to mention: What happens if it doesn’t work? How likely is it to work, anyway, especially since I have “unexplained infertility“? How are we going to pay for this? Isn’t there anything else we can try first?
Whether you have unexplained infertility or not, yes, there may be other options to try first, before jumping into IUI or IVF. (Or, in fact, even after having failed IUI or IVF attempts, these are worth considering.) Here are a 3 of them that I’ve tried and/or investigated, along with the pros and cons of each (#2 is how I got pregnant!):
(Side note: If you’ve been trying to get pregnant for over a year but haven’t seen a doctor yet, he/she probably wouldn’t recommend IUI or IVF immediately before doing other testing. Check out my post on What To Expect When You’re Still Not Pregnant After a Year.)
1. Go to a FertilityCare Center (or find an OB specializing in the Creighton Model)
I will admit that I have not extensively researched the Creighton Model (associated with the NaPro Technology branch of women’s health science). The more I research it, though, the more I like it.
In short, the Creighton Model focuses on helping women understand their reproductive health. It centers on teaching women to chart signs of fertility each month (like cervical mucus and basal body temperature) so that they can achieve or avoid pregnancy. In addition, charting cycles helps identify possible root problems and solutions to reproductive challenges like infertility. I know this seems rather basic for us women who have been going through infertility for quite some time (one of my cons — see below), but I still think they may suggest other solutions a “normal” OB may not have thought of yet.
As their website states, “This is a fertility-care based medical approach rather than a fertility-control approach.” The Creighton Model is all natural, but can be used to help treat PMS, PCOS, painful periods, and, of course, the issue at hand here: infertility. It is associated with the Catholic Church. Again, I have not researched this extensively, but you can find out more at their website here.
I was actually on a wait list to get into see a doctor that is trained in NaPro technology when I got pregnant (find out more about that pregnancy and miscarriage here). I still have not been able to get in to see her, but I hope to do so in the future.
Pros:
—I love that the Creighton Model focuses on knowing your body and using natural methods to treat any issue you might have.
—The Creighton Model emphasizes all-natural family planning, including preventing pregnancy without the use of birth control. Even if I wasn’t going through infertility, this would be something I would want to look in to!
–Depending on whether or not you can find a FertilityCare Center (more on that below), the cost may not be any higher than seeing a “regular” OB for any issue. For instance, the doctor I am waiting to see works as a regular OB, not a fertility specialist. That may help keep the cost down.
–Overall, I would highly recommend looking into this approach, especially if you are new to infertility!
Cons:
–As I mentioned, I am still on a wait list, and have been for several months. These doctors may be somewhat difficult to find. You can search for one in your area here. Even then, though, this lists even counselors or educators. If you’re like me, you still would want to see an actual doctor. There are some on the list, but mine is not, because she doesn’t work at an actual “FertilityCare Center.” You will have to do a little digging.
—Although I love the sound of this approach, I’m still a little skeptical of it when it comes to a solution for unexplained infertility. Then again, I have not tried it. The reason I am skeptical is because the Creighton Model focuses on charting things like cervical mucus and basal body temperature. I already know how to do and have done both of those things, and was not able to get pregnant. Perhaps, though, they would do other things that I am not aware of.
2. See a Functional Medicine Doctor
I won’t go into this too much, because I have written several extensive posts on it already (see below if you’re interested).
To be brief: Functional medicine seeks to treat infertility (or anything else) by finding and addressing the root cause of the problem. Like the Creighton Model, functional medicine seeks to treat issues using all natural methods. I firmly believe this could be successful even if you’ve had a previous unsuccessful IUI or IVF for unexplained infertility. To find out more, check out:
—5 Reasons to Try Functional Medicine for Unexplained Infertility
—Tests to Determine the Root Cause of Infertility
—The Surprising Cause of my Unexplained Infertility
Pros:
–I really loved my entire experience with functional medicine. This is an incredibly personalized approach to health care.
—If you have unexplained infertility, there could be any number of things that are the root cause…that may seem unrelated to fertility. (Check out more possible causes of unexplained infertility here.) Many OBs or fertility specialists are simply not interested in figuring out the root cause. A functional doctor will be determined to figure it out. (I think she figured it out for me and I’m convinced that’s how I got pregnant — read more here.)
—The recommended treatments are all natural.
Cons:
—Functional medicine is very broad — it may be difficult for you to find a doctor that specializes specifically in fertility. I was thankful that I found one minutes from my house that specialized in unexplained infertility and PCOS.
—It’s pricey…and insurance will probably not cover it. All in all, I probably spent $3000 on three hour-long visits with the doctor, three hour-long visits with the dietician, blood work, and advanced testing. Plus more for supplements. Although I think it was worth it, it wasn’t cheap. (Much cheaper than IVF though!)
—Treating infertility naturally takes time. You have to be willing to be patient as you try supplements, adjust your diet, and do any number of things the doctor suggests. Some of them may not work initially, and you may have to try something else after. This is not a quick fix.
3. Keep waiting
I don’t mean to be annoying and state the obvious, but waiting is still an option. According to the research, “A reasonably high spontaneous pregnancy rate still occurs even after the first year of trying.” (That was not the case for me, but still, worth noting.)
That same research gives these statistics: After the first year of trying, 90% of couples will become pregnant without any interventions, and after two years, 95%. I don’t mean to advocate that you keep waiting, especially if you have other things like age that are not on your side, but again, it’s an option.
Pros:
—As stated above, there is still a chance of natural pregnancy.
—You can continue to try to get pregnant (“wait”) while you are investigating IVF. My husband and I used this waiting time (even though we also saw a functional doctor) as a time to research, look in to, and argue about the issues surrounding IVF. (Read more on that here.) IVF is not something you want to jump into anyway.
–Even if you do end up doing IVF, this waiting time can give you a chance to make some lifestyle changes that will make it more likely that your IVF is successful. Because your eggs take 90 days to develop, you will not see the full extent of the effects of lifestyle changes for 3 months. Check out more on this by reading up on the fertility diet.
Cons:
—After a year, you don’t want to wait any longer. Trust me, I know.
–If you do have other things working against you (older age, for example), you may not feel like you have the time to wait.
—If you don’t get pregnant while waiting, you may feel like you wasted valuable time. On the other hand, tough times of waiting can strengthen your faith and increase your trust in God. Check out my waiting devotional here.
Whatever you decide to do, I would urge you to prayerfully consider all of your options. Decisions about infertility are not black and white, and what is “right” for one person may not be right for another.
