Good day bloggers. The family expansion on the card and the blood reports are normal and still you are trying hard to conceive. Everything appears normal and the diagnosis of this struggle is labelled as “Unexplained Infertility”
When the basic study of infertility, there is no cause found that could cause reproductive failure. The basic infertility workup does not attempt to analyze each organ that determines fertility. This basic workup is to establish whether the minimum conditions are in place to be able to start a couple’s reproduction treatment. The basic blood work is therefore aimed at determining whether reproductive health is optimal.
Adequate ovarian reserve, sufficient seminal quality in men, Tubal change if any, Uterine factor if any
Anaemia, diabetes, High Blood Pressure connections that could harm the baby along with Thalassemia risk etc.
While assessing these things, it is easy for the fertility specialist to zero down on the treatment plan. Nevertheless, the diagnosis of unexplained infertility creates lots of confusion in the minds of the couples.
What next after the diagnosis of unexplained infertility?
The ultimate goal is to have a healthy pregnancy and full-term delivery for a trying couple. If the female is below 35 years and is healthy, deeper investigation along with other insemination treatments will be initiated. If the female is above 35 years, the ovarian reserve or egg quality declines rapidly. Not to waste further time, infertility specialists propose to start with the In Vitro Fertilization procedure. IVF procedures for women above age 35 proved to be more successful over time.
It is not surprising to find the causes of unexplained infertility during the IVF process. Insufficient response to stimulation, poor oocyte quality, and failure to implant the embryos could be a few examples. Therefore, the diagnosis of unknown infertility is a reproductive dysfunction.
As we all know, for the formation of a baby, a healthy egg and a fit sperm need to meet in the Fallopian tubes. When they met, the embryo will be formed. Any abnormality in the female, as well as the male reproductive system, will cause a delay in pregnancy. In certain conditions, deeper studies regarding sperm formation, Oocyte maturation, and embryo implantation will be of great help. With the Advancement of Assistive Reproductive Technologies, it is quite possible to achieve pregnancy to start with a simple procedure to a more complex one.
Unexplained infertility is an established diagnosis when the couple is trying to conceive for at least a year without success along with these conditions.
Menstrual cycles are regularly within the range
Hormone levels on days 3-5 of the menstrual cycle are normal.
The AMH hormone is within normal reference limits.
The Fallopian tubes are permeable and healthy
The anatomy of the uterus is regular and is without fibroids or polyps
The antral follicle count seen by ultrasound is greater than 5
The endometrial lining is regular and homogeneous.
Sexual intercourse occurs frequently near the time of ovulation.
The semen analysis counts of the partner are also normal
What are the treatments for unexplained infertility now to be a mother?
Appropriate treatment to address unexplained infertility is based on the woman’s age.
In general, if the couple is young and the tests do not indicate anything relevant, the specialists resort to an empirical treatment starting from the simplest to the most complicated technique
If the woman is already of advanced maternal age, infertility specialists will directly move to highly complex treatment (IVF) with the highest success rates as compared to lower success rate treatments.
Are unexplained infertility patients different from infertile couples with known causes?
Unexplained fertility couples have more chances of spontaneous conception than those with a cause. The rate of spontaneous pregnancy is 13-15% during the first year up to 35% in the next two years of attempt. But, the rate of spontaneous pregnancy drastically reduces the infertility duration to more than 3 years in women over 35 years of age.
Treatments For young couples with Unexplained Infertility
1. Natural treatments with lifestyle changes, optimal weight management, and adopting healthy habits. Timed intercourse too will help to achieve the dream of parenthood.
2. Artificial insemination: Artificial insemination (AI) couples can also try for pregnancy directly with AI if they have been looking for pregnancy naturally for some time without success. Artificial insemination consists of mild ovarian stimulation for the development of one or two follicles in the ovary. Ovulation is then induced and the semen of the male is deposited inside the uterus.
3. In Vitro Fertilization (IVF): After repeated attempts of Artificial insemination for women above 35 yrs, IVF is most sought after. IVF has a much higher success rate and can provide causes of infertility which were not detected earlier.
In a nutshell, Unexplained Infertility is mentally, and physically challenging. It is important to see the infertility specialist early to seek treatment. There are simpler options available to start with and much-developed IVF offers a ray of hope for parenthood but remember, the Age factor has great importance in treatment outcome, the earlier you start, the better it is.
- Natural fecundability is the chance of obtaining clinical pregnancy in one menstrual cycle, which is around 20% for young couples. It is observed In unexplained infertility, the fecundability is often less than normal.
- Good outcome is expected when the duration of infertility is less than 2 years, even without therapy and the female partner is below 35 years.
- When the duration of infertility is more than 3 y and the female partner is above 35 years, success goes down further.
- There are many treatments available for unexplained infertility
- IVF is considered in a woman if age >35 years or has a longer duration of infertility or 3-4 cycles of IUI are done without conception. Your dream of parenthood can be achieved with the right time diagnosis and treatment.
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