Infertility: Factors That Affect Treatment Success

Overview

Infertility treatment is a success if it results in the birth of a healthy baby. Many things affect your chances of conceiving and carrying a healthy pregnancy, with or without treatment. Major ones include:

Your age and how long you've been trying to conceive.

Your age (and the age of your egg supply) has a big impact on your chances of getting pregnant and having a healthy baby. From your mid-30s into your 40s, your chance of pregnancy with your own eggs decreases, and your risk of miscarriage increases.

The cause of infertility.

• Ovulation problems (except those related to age) are the most successfully treated cause of infertility. But problems with the fallopian tubes can be harder to treat.
• The success of treating other causes depends on the type of problem and how severe it is.

Some people complete many cycles of infertility treatment before they conceive or decide that treatment has failed. Before you start treatment, talk to your doctor and decide how much time and money you are willing to spend.