Basic Infertility Services

In many situations, it is through basic infertility care that help is provided for our patients. The following treatments may be used to manage basic infertility among patients:

Encouraging Natural Fertility

In some cases, patients do not become pregnant because of difficulties related to lifestyle, habits, sexual practices, and ovulation timing. CARMI physicians first review the basic lifestyle factors (body weight, smoking, alcohol-, and caffeine-drinking, etc) and sexual practices (frequency, timing of intercourse, etc) before analyzing the more complex factors. Ovulation is monitored by ultrasound or through the use of test kits, for the correct timing of intercourse or for subsequent intrauterine insemination. Further treatment may depend upon the results of these tests.

Evaluation of Ovarian Reserve

Ovarian reserve refers to the capacity of the ovary to provide eggs that are capable of fertilization that results in a healthy and successful pregnancy. While there are no exact methods to determine ovarian reserve, its best estimate helps physicians decide on the best course of infertility treatment for infertile couples especially for those women of advanced age. Aside from providing the usual tests in estimating ovarian reserve such as serum basal FSH and ultrasound determination of antral follicle count (AFC), CARMI is the only facility in the country that offers Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) which recently has been recognized as the most accurate predictor of ovarian reserve.

Ovulation Induction

Among the most common treatments for many causes of infertility is ovulation induction. This process involves the stimulation of a woman’s ovaries through the use of ovulation induction medications or fertility drugs. Among the most commonly used drugs are clomiphene citrate and letrozole tablets and injectable hormones as urinary menotrophins and recombinant FSH. Ovulation induction is frequently used with intrauterine insemination (IUI), another treatment process.

Minimally invasive surgery such as laparoscopy or hysteroscopy

Oftentimes, direct visualization of the pelvic organs is the best for diagnosis and treatment of certain infertility conditions. This is accomplished with the use of a camera system via thin scopes (‘endoscopy’) and requires the smallest incisions possible.

Laparoscopy is a surgical procedure to examine the abdominal cavity or the female pelvic organs inside it. It is used to diagnose problems such as ovarian cysts, adhesions, fibroids or infection. It is also used to confirm endometriosis, a common condition among infertile women in which cells that look and act like the cells of the inner lining of the uterus are found in other parts of the abdominal cavity giving an inflammatory reaction.

Hysteroscopy is a procedure that allows the inspection of the inner lining or cavity of the uterus for fibroids, polyps, scarring and abnormal shape. During this procedure, the scope is inserted through the cervix into the uterus.

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