Learn the basics about infertility treatments

Step 3: Treatments

If there are physical problems with your ovaries or uterus, your doctor will explain medication or surgery that could treat those conditions. If ovulation is the problem, your doctor will prescribe specific hormone treatments (such as thyroid hormone) or drugs (such as clomiphene citrate) that can help you ovulate.

If that treatment fails, you may be given daily shots of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) to make your ovaries grow mature eggs. You'll receive the shots and be monitored for 9 to 14 days with ultrasounds and blood tests to see how the eggs are growing.

If your husband's sperm is a problem, your doctor may perform an intrauterine insemination (IUI) when you're ovulating. A sperm sample is collected from your husband, washed with a special solution and inserted directly into your cervix through a catheter.

Step 4: In vitro fertilization

If hormone treatments don't help or if there's a major problem with your husband's sperm, your doctor may perform in vitro fertilization (IVF).

You would take FSH shots for 10 to 14 days to help grow 5 to 10 eggs. If the eggs are in good shape, you'll be given the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) to accelerate maturation. After 36 hours, your doctor will retrieve the eggs and place them in a petri dish. Your husband's sperm is added to the dish for fertilization. Twelve to 16 hours later, if the fertilization was successful, the fertilized egg should start dividing and become an embryo. The embryo is usually ready for implantation in your uterus three to five days after the eggs are harvested.

In vitro fertilization is a lengthy process that can cost $10,000 to $14,000 per cycle. (Check with your insurance company to see what may be covered.) For more information, talk to your doctor.