What is unexplained Infertility? If you have been planning for conception or pregnancy without success for a year Your doctor or fertility specialist finds no obvious reasons to relate to it. After doing all the standard diagnostics and tests, it is labelled as “unexplained infertility.” Please Note that the definition includes the term “standard” tests. It is most It is likely that the cause of your infertility may be related to egg or sperm factors, uterine or fallopian tube defects. Tube issues or other conditions which need specialized, more extensive treatment. This is testing that is not required in routine infertility testing. These tests are far more invasive and expensive. Also, the end diagnosis may or may not have a definitive treatment available, so why waste time and money finding this out? Does this mean their dream of becoming parents will never be realized? Not at all, and you are not alone. As many as 20% of all infertility cases can be tagged as unexplained infertility. This unexplained infertility does not mean an inability to conceive, carry, and bear a healthy baby. This term simply says you need expert advice, well in time, to end the struggle of infertility. Years of study, data and experience have given birth to certain standardly followed protocols for overcoming infertility, whether of a known or unexplained nature. Following these protocols gives you a good chance of becoming a parent. Some conditions, however, demand certain additional testing, and these should be undertaken. For example, repeated miscarriages should be investigated further with tests like karyotyping, etc. Then there are conditions like Endometriosis, PCOS, Uterine growths & Fibroids, infections, tubal blockages, uterine septa etc. which need to be treated first before fertility treatment. These may require special investigations for a proper diagnosis, often requiring hysteroscopic or Laparo-hysteroscopic diagnostic procedures for confirmation. These diagnostic procedures are likely to progress to the operative stage if the identified problems can be neutralized in the same sitting, rather than having to repeat most of the same basic procedures all over again. The very purpose of this blog is to give insights into the factors where everything appears normal & still couples face infertility. The more informed & updated you are to deal with the concerns, the better equipped you will be to bring the anxiety levels down. We will focus on what unexplained infertility is, what we know to date about it, what are treatment options & what genuine concerns can be addressed together. Unexplained infertility may be due to a lack of a specific test or misdiagnosis. Misdiagnosis may be due to endometriosis, tubal factor or immunological factors. There are 3 basic investigations the doctor will look into. 1. Normal basic semen analysis 2. Patency of the Fallopian tubes by HSG (x-ray test) or SSG (sonography test) 3. Ovulation by progesterone level Age & duration of infertility plays an important role too. What exactly does unexplained infertility mean to the doctor? Unexplained infertility is actually a diagnosis of elimination. From the patient per se, fertility testing did not find a specific cause for failure to conceive. The age & duration of infertility is deciding factors. Cost and time invested further delays the pregnancy. It is the most challenging situation. The burden of stress is heavy for the couple, who don’t realise that even for fertile couples in a natural state, the chance to get pregnant is around 18-20% in a given month. When you’re trying to get pregnant, you only have as per your ovulation, 12 chances per year, so take advantage of every opportunity. Lifestyle modification, maintaining body mass index with healthy habits, with or without the diagnosis of unexplained infertility, is necessary. Even after doing the same, still, you have not achieved pregnancy, then your fertility expert will guide you. What if none of these options worked? Never lose hope. There are treatments available. Your fertility specialist’s recommendation will depend on age and years of infertility. If you are below 35years, ovulation medicines will increase the chances of pregnancy with or without intrauterine insemination. IUI puts the sperm directly into the uterus, bypassing those areas of the vagina and cervix, where body secretions may act as speed breakers to the sperm. This improves the chances of fertilization. If you are above 35, there is a need to opt for more aggressive therapy, directly moving to IVF, since time is at a premium and we need to utilize the existing eggs in the ovaries, which will now deplete rapidly. In either of the cases, the only advice to the couple is never to give up, as diagnosing unexplained infertility itself is a diagnosis of elimination & that does not mean you can’t have a family. That is the reason the recent guidelines for the treatment of unexplained infertility, drugs, and IUI are to be used in couples with unexplained infertility for a limited period. If no pregnancy occurs within 3 to 6 IUI cycles, IVF may be recommended. Nevertheless, the journey should be full of emotional & mental support, which is vital. Support groups to share your thoughts & spread the right information will go a long way. Science has improved with the understanding of unexplained infertility, and a lot of research has been done to explore many relevant treatments. The age of a couple and years of infertility could be a major concern for the success of the treatment. To conclude, unexplained infertility is not an issue if addressed in time. Don’t delay Seeking the help of a fertility expert who can help you to start the journey of parenthood. If the concern is unexplained, there are still good chances of if you adhere to the guidelines set forth by our expert, you can enjoy being a parent. Yash IVF has a highly trained and experienced team of experts to guide you in a holistic manner, which includes trained counselling for nutritional changes (to assist conception), Physiotherapy, Stress, & Lifestyle counselling. This is a highly experienced team that has added to our enhanced success rate. Behind the scenes, we have a team of UK-trained IVF experts and embryologists. An experienced team of Lab technicians and counsellors will guide you every step of your journey. This will be demanding and there will be multiple emotional and physical challenges that this all-women’s team will help you overcome.
