I’m Infertile — Now What?

Struggling with infertility is devastating — but it isn’t hopeless.

Dr. Kevin Hooker is an accomplished expert in fertility treatment, deeply caring, and the specialist you should see if you’re suffering with infertility. He offers treatments that support your quest for a viable pregnancy, listens closely, and customizes your treatment. 

Lake Havasu OB/GYN Care provides complete gynecology and obstetrics care, no matter what stage of life you’re in. 

What is infertility?

Technically, you’re considered infertile if you’ve stopped using contraceptives for a year or more and haven’t become pregnant. According to the Centers for Disease Control, a full 12% of women between the ages of 15 and 44 either have problems becoming pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term. 

Experiencing a series of miscarriages or stillbirths also indicates infertility. 

Fertility isn’t just a woman’s problem

You may feel as though you’re to blame for not becoming pregnant, but in approximately one-third of couples who have problems conceiving, male issues are the culprits.  

Obstacles to pregnancy

Our reproductive systems are fascinating and work incredibly well a lot of the time, but there are countless factors that conspire to hamper conception. For women, a few of these are living with  a hormone imbalance, being diagnosed with a gynecologic condition like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or endometriosis, and having pelvic inflammatory disorder. Sexually transmitted infections, conditions like diabetes, and premature menopause also contribute to female infertility.

Excessive exercise can alter your cycle and pose an obstacle to pregnancy too, as can living with an eating disorder or having a high body mass index (being outside a normal weight range). 

No two women are alike. Dr. Hooker considers your medical history, family medical history, and many other factors to determine why you’re not getting pregnant. 

What tests help diagnose infertility?

Tests exist for both men and women to assess their fertility. Dr. Hooker may perform:

• A pelvic exam and Pap smear to see if a physiological issue or an illness could be contributing to your infertility
• A transvaginal ultrasound
• A blood test to check to see if your hormone levels are hospitable to pregnancy
• A hysteroscopy, a thin, lighted tube to examine our uterus
• A hysterosalpingogram (HSG), X-rays and dye to look for fallopian tube blockages 
• A saline sonohysterogram (SIS), a test where your uterus is filled with salt water during a transvaginal ultrasound
• Laparoscopy, a thin tube with a camera on it is inserted to look for problems, such as uterine fibroids and endometriosis

It’s critical to get tested so a formal infertility diagnosis can be made.   

For men, Dr. Hooker performs semen analyses to diagnose low sperm count or to identify sperm mobility issues. Additionally, blood tests are available that can analyze hormone levels and check for chromosomal problems. An ultrasound of the scrotum can also spot testicular issues. 

How can my infertility be treated?

Dr. Hooker first considers your age and how efficiently you’re ovulating to begin understanding what’s making becoming pregnant difficult.

His initial approach is to advise conservative treatment options. If conception continues to be elusive, he offers other innovative treatment options. 

1. Conservative fertility treatment

Different from medical interventions, lifestyle changes you can enact may help you to become pregnant. These include adopting a more nutrient-rich diet, upping your physical activity, and engaging in behavioral therapy.

It’s important to get tested and treated for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and avoid recreational drugs and too much caffeine or alcohol, as well as known environmental toxins. 

2. Personalized medication plans

Dr. Hooker prescribes medications that alter your hormone levels and stimulate your ovaries, causing you to ovulate. 

3. Intrauterine insemination

During this procedure, Dr. Hooker places concentrated sperm in your uterus at the time of your ovulation.

4. Surgical interventions to restore fertility

These procedures include correcting physiological obstacles to pregnancy, like  removing uterine polyps and fibroids. We also offer surgery for women who live with endometriosis. This procedure makes you twice as likely to become pregnant.  

5. Assisted reproductive technology (ART)

The most well-known ART method is in vitro fertilization, or IVF, which involves combining your partner’s or a donor’s sperm with your eggs, or a donor’s, outside of your uterus, in a petri dish. Then the fertilized eggs are implanted in your uterus.  

Don’t forget that Dr. Hooker is as committed to treating your partner for infertility as he is to treating you. Lake Havasu OB/GYN is with you on your journey to parenthood, no matter what that looks like. 

Don’t keep enduring the pain of infertility. Call our office to schedule a consultation or request one through our website.