Having a baby may seem like the most natural thing in the world, but some couples are not able to conceive.
That's where fertility specialists come in.
Merely deciding to have a baby does not necessarily mean you will. When is it time to consult a fertility specialist.
"If couple have difficulty achieving pregnancy in about a year, despite regular and unprotected intercourse, that's when we usually recommend a formal evaluation," said Dr. Li-Duen Clark, Castle Medical Center OB/GYN.
Dr. Clark works with her husband Dr. Jean Paul Clark at Castle Medical Center. He says there are obvious reasons why it may be difficult for a woman to conceive.
"If there was a history of irregular menses or no menses, that would certainly be a clue that that could be an issue for infertility," he says.
The doctors say that the cause of infertility is almost equally divided between men and women. But the first person they will check is the female partner. There are two primary reasons why a female may be infertile.
"One is the oligomenorrhea meaning that ovulation does not take place each cycle. May not take place at all and there's a variety of reasons for that," said Dr. Jean-Paul Clark.
One of those reasons may be exertion caused by a number of factors.
"The second big camp of concern is the tubes not doing what they're supposed to do and we call that tubal factor and that could be related to prior infections, that could be related to prior surgeries or simply defects within the tubes themselves," said Dr. Jean-Paul Clark.
The doctors say two thirds of those couples wanting to have a baby, are successful after treatment.
