For anyone, the first fertility consultation can be charged with a range of emotions from apprehension to excitement, and nervousness. Trying to conceive can be as exhausting and stressful as it can be wonderful and joyful. If you’re considering seeing a fertility specialist or if you have already made the appointment, having an understanding of what you can expect before you arrive can be a big help. We’ll walk through the process so that you can feel more at ease before your first fertility consultation. 

Setting an Appointment

If you’re thinking about fertility treatment and want to make an appointment, call us at 520-326-0001. We are happy to discuss your individual situation at length and help you discover the most suitable solution that meets your specific needs. 

You can typically expect to book an appointment for the first fertility consultation a few weeks from the date you’ve called. Our schedule is often quite busy, but we do our best to work with you to set up a time that’s convenient for you. 

Initial Consultation

To get ready for your visit, remember to bring any necessary insurance information. You’ll spend the first 15 minutes or so of your first visit filling out insurance information. This process may seem tedious but it is our goal to ensure that you have the most coverage possible for our time together. Often, insurance covers the initial diagnosis and treatment for the underlying causes of infertility.

We may also conduct a few tests that will help us determine the underlying reasons surrounding your difficulties getting pregnant. These will help us set the foundation of your infertility treatment. The testing process is completed within one menstrual cycle, after which we can use those test results to discuss the most effective treatment options with you. 

Treatment

After the diagnosis has been made and we’ve worked with you to create a treatment plan, treatment typically begins in about a month, or one menstrual cycle. The duration of treatment varies from person to person. Regardless of how long it takes, we will be there to guide you every step of the way, to answer any questions, and address any concerns that may pop up along the way. 

At Arizona Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, we have helped countless couples experience the unique joys that parenthood can bring and are proud that we’ve been able to help so many on their journey to raising a child of their own. Our fertility specialists are dedicated to helping each patient understand the options available to them so we can create a plan tailored to their unique situation. We believe that everyone deserves to start the family they have always dreamed of. Learn how we can help you. 

Period tracking is becoming more and more common thanks to apps designed to help women record and predict their next period and ovulation cycle. People may think  the benefits of period tracking are limited to aspiring mothers-to-be, but that is not the case. Period tracking is helpful even for those who are not looking to get pregnant. Not only is it useful to know when your next period is most likely to happen, but tracking your cycle can also help you learn more about your menstrual health, particularly if you have an underlying health condition like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) or endometriosis. 

Know your normal

The average cycle lasts about 29 days, but this can vary from woman to woman. Even if your cycle is pretty regular, tracking your menstrual cycle can still provide valuable information. It can help you determine what your normal cycle is so you can be aware of any deviations. The length of your cycle can vary from month to month based on your hormone levels and lifestyle factors like stress, medications, and medical conditions. Keeping note of changes in lifestyle factors can help you understand the potential cause of changes. 

Identify abnormalities sooner

If you experience changes in your cycle like an increase or decrease in period duration or flow and new or worsening symptoms, recording your monthly periods will help you remember when these changes began. This in turn can help clue you in on what the cause might be, so you can flag any symptoms to share with your doctor or healthcare provider. Irregular or absent periods can be a sign of a potential health issue, so being aware of what is happening with your body can empower you to stay on top of your health. 

Gain a better understanding of your symptoms

For women with PCOS or endometriosis, irregular periods are nothing new. Period tracking can help you predict your cycle and better understand your symptoms, while also feeling more in control of your body and less like you’re at the mercy of your body’s biological whims. You will also have more accurate information to share with your doctor, which can help you and your doctor decide on effective treatment. 

No more surprises

Period tracking can give you a wealth of information about your body and its wellbeing. Not only will you be better equipped to understand what’s regular for you, but you can also track things like sex drive, energy levels, mood, sleep cycle, and food cravings, and relate them to stages in your menstrual cycle. Getting a prediction on when your next period starts also means you can plan around big events like vacations and weddings, which is helpful if your period symptoms are particularly harsh and uncomfortable.

Ultimately…

The menstrual cycle is how a woman’s body prepares for pregnancy after ovulation, the release of a mature egg. For women tracking their periods, irregular menstrual cycles can be an indication that the normal menstrual cycle has been disrupted and ovulation has not occurred. If your period cycles have been irregular or if you have had normal cycles and have been trying to conceive without success for more than six months, you might consider seeking fertility treatment. At the Arizona Center for Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility, we offer a wide range of services to meet every woman’s individual needs. Learn more.

Fertility is often far more complicated than many people realize. There are many factors that can affect your reproductive health and ability to get pregnant. If you are thinking about having a baby—whether it’s your first, second, or third—there are several steps you can take now to be proactive about your fertility.

At Arizona Center for Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility, we’re committed to giving you all the information you need to help you feel in control of your reproductive health. And that includes giving you a few actionable things you can do to prepare yourself for kids, whether you’ll be trying soon, a few years out from now, or you’re still uncertain of when or if you’ll want to start your family at all. Here are five ways to get proactive about your fertility.

Get familiar with your cycle and when you ovulate

If you’re not already tracking your period or menstrual cycle, now is a good time to start. Tracking your cycle will help you understand when you’re ovulating or alert you to irregular ovulation, which can make it more difficult to get pregnant. If you’re planning on getting pregnant relatively soon, you can use an ovulation predictor kit (OPK) to help you figure out your fertile window, or when you’ll be most likely to conceive. 

Learn about your genetics and your medical history

When you come in to AZCREI for your first consultation, we’ll always ask you about your and your family’s medical history. It’s a solid starting point to help us determine what may deter a successful pregnancy. Besides knowing your medical history, it’s a good idea for you (and your partner) to get an STI test, in order to rule out any potential issues that may be related to complications from an STI.

You can also get ahead by digging into your genetics and family medical history now. Specifically, if you are a person with ovaries, finding out everything you can about your mother and grandmother’s health can help you anticipate any potential fertility issues that you might have in the future. Some questions you want to know the answers to are:

• When did your mother start menopause?
• Did your mother have any issues with getting or staying pregnant?
• Are there any thyroid or endocrine issues that run in your family?
• Do you have a family history of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)?

Talk to your doctor or OB/GYN or fertility specialist

If you have questions about your reproductive health you should discuss your options with your doctor, OB/GYN, or a fertility specialist (like AZCREI). There are many health conditions that impact fertility, including hormone imbalances, PCOS, thyroid disorders, uterine fibroids, damage to the fallopian tubes, endometriosis, and STIs. Age, BMI, and your family medical history can all affect fertility as well. You may want to write down your questions ahead of time, before your visit, so you can get all the answers you need to create a plan for your next steps.

Evaluate your lifestyle and habits

A chat with your doctor may spur you to evaluate a few of your lifestyle choices and habits. Since BMI can affect fertility, you may want to gain or lose weight before you start trying to conceive in order to increase your chances of a successful pregnancy. Exercise, regardless of your BMI, is also important for your general health. If you smoke, you’ll want to quit right away; the chemicals in nicotine speed up the loss of eggs (which naturally die off as you get older) and damage sperm. Smoking can also result in ectopic pregnancy, preterm labor, and birth defects, so the sooner you quit, the better.

Consider freezing your eggs

There are many reasons people with ovaries choose to freeze their eggs—the quick and simple process can have long-lasting benefits. If you are still uncertain of when you want to have kids, egg freezing gives you the ability to wait until you want to or are ready to. The procedure also increases your chances of a successful pregnancy later, since your eggs are of higher quality and healthier when you’re younger. Freezing your eggs now, even when things are up in the air, is like having an insurance plan that ensures you do have the option to get pregnant whenever you choose to do so.

If you’re at all considering having kids in the future, there’s no downside to taking proactive measures about your fertility. For more information on your options, give us a call at (520) 326-0001 or visit us online to schedule a consultation and talk to our doctor.

Many times, when a woman or person with a uterus visits us at Arizona Center for Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility after months of not getting pregnant, their fear is that the birth control they’ve used in the past has affected their fertility now. Sadly, there is a lot of lore and misconceptions out there that warn against using birth control precisely for this reason. The good news, however, is that is rarely ever the case. 

There are several different methods of birth control for uterus owners—IUD, shots, vaginal ring, patch, pills, condoms, even the rhythm method—but they all have the same end goal: to prevent conception and pregnancy (for the time being). These are considered ‘reversible’ birth control methods as they don’t involve surgical removal of reproductive organs. So, in theory, once you stop using one of these methods, your chances of getting pregnant go back to normal. 

Different forms of birth control work in different ways, so here’s a quick look at how birth control works and its true affect on your fertility.

Understanding Conception

To understand how birth control prevents conception, you first need to understand what it takes for conception to occur. There are three main events that have to happen:

1. Ovulation: A healthy, developed egg needs to be released into the fallopian tubes so it can be fertilized; fertilization needs to occur 12-24 hours after its release.
2. Fertilization: Once the egg is released, it needs to meet with a sperm. Sperm needs to make its way past the cervix and through the uterus to the fallopian tube and ovulated egg. If the sperm and egg meet, the sperm needs to get through the zona pellucida, or egg’s outer membrane, for fertilization to occur.
3. Implantation: If fertilization does happen, the new embryo needs to successfully implant in the uterine lining, which supports the embryo’s development.

A snag in any of these steps can make conception difficult, or even impossible. Birth control works by creating these obstacles in the conception process. 

Preventing Conception

Now, let’s talk about those obstacles. Again, most birth control methods work to create one or more obstacles in the three major events of the conception process.

Preventing Ovulation

The majority of reversible hormonal birth control methods work by preventing ovulation. When the birth control hormones are released, they actually inhibit the production of FSH and LH, which then prevents follicular stimulation and development. (You can read more about the phases of the menstrual cycle here.) No egg is matured or released, so ovulation doesn’t occur. Combination pills, some IUDs, the ring, patch, and birth control shot usually prevent ovulation.

Thickening the Cervical Mucus

When you’re in your fertile window, your body produces a special type of cervical mucus that actually helps sperm get past the cervix and into the uterus and fallopian tube to find an egg. This thinner mucus is the result of high estradiol and low progesterone levels. Hormonal birth control reverses these levels (by raising progesterone or lowering estradiol) which thickens the cervical mucus and makes conception much more difficult and highly unlikely. Combination pills, minipills, IUDs, the ring, patch, and birth control shot are methods that cause this thickening of cervical mucus to happen.

Preventing Thickening of the Uterine Lining 

For a fertilized egg to develop and grow, implantation needs occur. In typical menstrual cycles (where birth control is not being used) progesterone and estradiol hormones thicken the uterine lining and make it more welcoming of a fertilized egg. Hormonal birth control methods work by limiting these hormone levels, which makes the uterine lining too thin for an embryo to successfully implant and thus, develop. Combination pills, minipills, IUDs, the ring, patch, and birth control shot are methods that prevent the thickening of the uterine lining.

Lasting Effects of Birth Control on Fertility

Numerous studies have shown that the long-term use of birth control does not negatively affect future fertility. You are as likely to conceive if you used birth control in the past as a woman who has never used hormonal contraceptives.

Once you discontinue the use of birth control, your cycle will typically return to normal within one to three months. (Or six months to one year if your birth control method was the shot.) It’s important to note that if your menstrual cycle was irregular before using birth control, it will likely still be irregular once you go off birth control; some uterus owners mistake an irregular cycle as a side effect of birth control. 

So, what happens if you’ve stopped birth control, your cycles have returned, but you’re not getting pregnant? Chances are, there’s an underlying issue—completely independent from your birth control use. If you’ve been off birth control and are currently struggling to get pregnant, it may be time to visit a specialist.
At AZCREI, we can answer your questions and help identify the reason behind your struggles. Make an appointment now by calling 520-326-0001 or visiting us online.