I honestly feel that doctors need to have more education in this area, fertility and infertility should always be a covered benefit because it will and is effecting more and more woman. It’s really a misconception that woman can wait until they are in their 30s or 40s to have children, it’s more common that after the age of 34 that chance decreases significantly and a woman will experience infertility and require a specialist help. Infertility is a devastating diagnosis no matter what your age, or family planning stage, whether you want or don’t want children, it’s devastating and there is a grieving process, providers should be aware. Woman should be educated on their reproductive cycles, what is normal and what is not, I’m a believer in birth control, however I think it has unfortunately masked potential early detection of reproductive issues. Women should understand their bodies first and understand that for your own biological child, their is a timeline. Women should also understand how our hormones play a huge part in not only our cycle, but our brain, bone, heart and overall health.
It’s important to recommend that woman struggling with fertility really advocate for themselves, We tend to brush aside the concerns of women in general, but even more so when it’s related to their health. Anyone experiencing irregular periods should push for blood work, FSH, E,Progesterone, AMH, thyroid, these tests should be be rechecked in 3 months to confirm fertility issues. Prescribing birth control is not a good standard practice, Doctors should really try and figure why and what is the cause. Women should in addition ask for an ultrasound and a saline sonogram to check their reproductive organs. Even if you’re young in your 20s you should push your doctors for what you want.
Recommendations to seek alternative therapies should be encouraged in partnership with a referral to a reproductive endocrinologist. Speaking with a therapist, Acupuncture, natural supplements and herbs although antidotal, have given many woman relief from symptoms and even success in conceiving.
If a woman is diagnosed with premature ovarian failure as the cause of her infertility, she should see a doctor specialising in this, because birth control is not the standard practice, hormone replacement therapy is and under a specialists care is safe
