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Female Infertility

Improving both natural and ART pregnancy rates

Female Infertility is a common problem in the United States.   Approximately 6,000,000 U.S. women are presently diagnosed with infertility. Forty percent (2.4 million) are infertile due to blocked fallopian tubes, scarring or adhesions. Said another way, two out of five infertile women have reproductive dysfunction due to mechanical causes.

There are two types of female infertility treatment:

  1. natural methods, and
  2. assisted reproductive techniques (ART) such as in vitro fertilization (IVF, GIFT, ICSI, etc.)

Both have shown varying levels of success helping infertile couples conceive. Generally neither choice invalidates the other, and it is often possible to pursue both simultaneously, perhaps with better results than either affords on its own.

Cause Of Female Infertility

Many infertility procedures attempt to surgically bypass the actual cause of female infertility. Surgical techniques such as IVF, GIFT and other artificial reproductive techniques try to bypass poor reproductive function between the ovaries and the uterus.

The Natural Approach

Femail infertility treated with natural therapyA patient is treated for female infertility and adhesions.

The natural approach has obvious appeal since it involves no surgery or drugs. The low risk associated with natural approaches is offset by the fact that many natural approaches have not been investigated scientifically nor validated in published, peer reviewed studies.

There is no substitute for scientific validity. Although supported by anecdotal stories of success (e.g., "it worked for me") most natural approaches have not passed medical review.

Only three "natural" female infertility treatments have been scientifically tested, measured and published in peer reviewed medical journals.

  1. Group counseling improved natural fertility rates, in a 1992 study authored by Harvard psychologist Alice Domar, Ph.D.
  2. Acupuncture increased IVF success rates in a German study published in 2002.
  3. The Wurn Technique® (patent pending), the unique manual physical therapy treatment developed over 15 years at Clear Passage Therapies®, was shown to improve both natural and IVF success rates in scientific studies published in 2004.

Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART)

Female infertility treatment by IVFEgg fertilization via IVF.

Assisted reproductive techniques (ART) such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) have a long history of success. The first child ever born through fertilization which occurred outside the body took place in 1978. Great advances have been made since that remarkable transfer, and the success rates for procedures such as IVF seem to grow steadily, every year.

ART techniques (including IUI, IVF, GIFT, ZIFT and ICSI) are performed by medical physicians, often with additional specialty degrees in reproductive endocrinology. These techniques have been extensively studied, measured and refined. While the techniques carry the usual risks associated with surgery and pharmaceuticals, their validity and methods are regularly published in medical journals. Each year, success rates for participating US clinics are published by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).

Most ART techniques are performed by taking sperm and eggs directly from the couple wishing to become parents, uniting them in a sterile laboratory, and transferring the fertilized egg back into the uterus or fallopian tube of the natural mother. In some cases, reproductive endocrinologists suggest patients use sperm or eggs from other people, or find a surrogate mother to carry and bear their child.

After carefully researching your options, answers to the difficult, often agonizing choices facing you will become more apparent. Once you fully understand your choices, you can look within yourself, use your heart, mind, spirit, or intuition to discover which choice, or combination, makes the most sense for you and your spouse.

To assist our readers, we have divided parts of this website into two tracts: Natural and Assisted female infertility treatment. Regardless of your initial inclination, we suggest you read both to get the whole picture. Once you understand both options, your path will generally begin to open up before you.

We wish you the best in your journey and pledge to do our best to help you achieve the goals of your heart - and your life.