Getting diagnosed with unexplained infertility is frustrating, however this diagnosis simply means a cause has not been identified, It doesn’t mean your opportunity to get pregnant is gone. If you are undergoing IVF or other forms of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), there may be lots of reasons for the unexplained infertility label. IVF doctors run a host of tests ahead of a transfer. If a patient fails, the cause is usually associated with the embryo or the uterus. ReceptivaDx specializes in assessing the understudied medical disorder that causes inflammatory conditions around the uterine lining. The most common is endometriosis and is often missed in fertility workups and is considered one of the leading causes of failed implantation in IVF attempts.. You may not have any symptoms. To determine if silent endometriosis is impacting your fertility journey, , ReceptivaDx test looks for a protein marker highly associated with uterine lining inflammation. It is available through your physician and can be the answer to your unexplained infertility.
First Line Treatment Options for Unexplained Infertility
After first trying to conceive naturally for six months to one year, you may seek medical help. Depending on age. The treatment options may be different, I. Some of the treatment plans include changing lifestyle, medicines, and if necessary, assisted reproductive technology.
Lifestyle Changes
Positive lifestyle changes are linked to improved fertility. Some of the lifestyle changes one can practice to increase their chances of getting pregnant include:
- Limit alcohol consumption
- Reduce caffeine intake
- Keeping a healthy weight and exercising frequently
- Reduce stress
- Avoid using tobacco and other substance abuse
- Maintain a balanced diet
Timed Sexual Intercourse
Conception occurs within a short fertility period of a menstrual cycle. It’s possible to determine this period by monitoring body temperature, keeping track of their cycle, or using ovulation prediction kits.
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)
IUI works by inserting clean sperm into the wall of the uterus during the ovulation period. It can either be done using ovulation-inducing medications or through natural ovulation with the assistance of an LH kit.
Clomid and gonadotropins are the most used ovulation induction drugs. Gonadotropins are costly and have a higher risk of multiple pregnancies than Clomid. For this reason, Clomid is mostly preferred by specialists.
The number of IUI treatments varies according to age and willingness to undergo IVF. Three rounds of IUI with Clomid may be enough if one would be willing to proceed to IVF. If not, the patient may have to take up to six cycles of IUI with fertility medications.
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
IVF is a series of operations that entails fertilizing an egg outside a woman’s uterus in a specialist facility. It has a higher chance of success than other methods when treating unexplained infertility. IVF makes it easy to monitor egg quality, fertilization, and embryo growth. Going directly for IVF instead of IUI is the best option if one is over 35 years.
It’s usually carried out after other fertility treatment procedures have failed. IVF can be performed using the patient’s eggs or from a donor. Specialists extract mature eggs from the ovaries, fertilize them in a laboratory using sperm, and then transfer them to the uterus. It takes some time to complete one IVF cycle or longer when the steps are divided into separate phases.
Reproductive Immunological Treatments
Reproductive immunology treatment addresses infertility, repeated miscarriages, preterm births, and dangerous pregnancy complications. Natural killer cells are important in our body but having them in excess may affect fertility. Studies show that natural killer cells contribute to repeated miscarriage, IVF failure, and unexplained infertility.
Reproductive immunology treatment works by lessening the effects of excessive natural killer cells. This is achieved through intravenous injection of intra-lipids during an IVF treatment procedure.
Treatment Options for a positive ReceptiveDx result
If you take our test and the result is positive, it is very likely you have endometriosis. Your doctor will then discuss the options for treatment. The goal is not to “cure” the endometriosis but to reduce the inflammation long enough to allow an embryo to thrive on the uterine lining. There are two equally good options at this point.
Laparoscopy
In this surgical procedure, endometrial deposits are removed smoothing out the lining and are the likely cause of the unexplained infertility.
Hormone Suppression
Using hormone suppression drugs like Depot Lupron for 60 days will also achieve the same result of dampening the inflammation caused by the endometriosis long enough to hold the embryo. This method if less invasive and is often chosen as the treatment choice for those undergoing IVF.
Talk to a Fertility Specialist
Unexplained infertility is one of the main reasons women seek fertility specialists. However, there are many causes and your doctor will likely suggest and try many options. If you are considering ART or are already there, we encourage you to know about the ReceptivaDx test. Thousands of women have had their lives changed by using and acting on our results, More information can be found at ReceptivaDx.com..