If you’ve been trying to get pregnant for months or longer without success, you’re probably wondering what you can do to increase your chances of seeing that coveted positive pregnancy test. Our North Houston fertility specialists have helped countless patients understand what’s been causing their fertility challenges and how to address them. For those anxious for answers, the first step is identifying the signs of infertility in both men and women. The sooner you can identify potential infertility at our Kingwood fertility clinic or The Woodlands fertility clinic, the sooner you can find the right treatment for you.

What is Infertility?

According to our North Houston fertility doctor, infertility is the inability to get pregnant after having unprotected sex for a year or more. Infertility could stem from issues with one partner or both, so your greatest chance for a successful pregnancy begins with identifying what could be causing your struggles in the first place. These are the most common causes of infertility for men and women, respectively, as seen by our North Houston fertility clinic doctors:

Causes of Male Infertility:

• Low sperm production
• Exposure to environmental toxins
• Issues in sperm delivery

Causes of Female Infertility:

• Ovulation problems
• Fallopian tube damage
• Uterine abnormalities
• Advanced maternal age
• Damage caused by disease, like cancer

Signs of Infertility Seen at Our North Houston IVF Clinic

Because fertility problems can affect both men and women, the signs are unique to each sex and manifest in different ways, depending upon the cause. For women, the most common symptoms are irregular, abnormal periods, or absent periods. If your infertility is the result of a hormonal imbalance, you may experience changes in your sex drive, changes in your skin (such as skin darkening and/or increased acne), and weight gain. If you are noticing these issues while struggling to get pregnant, it’s time to schedule an appointment with our North Houston fertility specialists to determine the next steps you can take.

For men, infertility signs include problems getting and maintaining an erection, pain in the testicles, weight gain, and hair loss. These signs, however, could indicate many other conditions, which is why a visit to our Kingwood IVF clinic or The Woodlands IVF clinic is such an important step for you and your reproductive goals.

North Houston IVF at Our Kingwood Fertility Clinic or The Woodlands Fertility Clinic

Kingwood IVF or The Woodlands IVF are common treatments for our North Houston fertility clinic patients struggling to get pregnant on their own. North Houston IVF (which stands for In Vitro fertilization) allows a woman’s egg to be introduced to the man’s sperm outside the body in a controlled environment, which improves the chances for fertilization. If fertilization occurs, the embryo(s) will be placed inside the woman’s uterus, where they will ideally implant and lead to a successful pregnancy. If necessary, our North Houston fertility specialist can help you secure donor eggs or donor sperm to increase your chances of getting pregnant.

Make Our North Houston Fertility Clinic a Part of Your Reproductive Journey

We know infertility can be devastating for hopeful parents anxious to grow their families, which is why we are honored to provide empathetic and expert care for every patient who visits our Kingwood fertility clinic and The Woodlands fertility clinic. If you’re seeing the signs of infertility outlined in this article and believe you may benefit from North Houston IVF or other fertility treatments, schedule an appointment with our team as soon as possible. 

Our North Houston fertility clinic has many treatment options available for hopeful parents, one of which involves using donor eggs as a part of their North Houston IVF treatment journey. But how does this process work, and is it a viable option for your reproductive goals? Our North Houston fertility specialists are here to help you answer these questions and prepare you for what to expect during IVF with donor eggs.

What is North Houston IVF?

The Woodlands IVF or Kingwood IVF, which is short for In Vitro Fertilization, is the process of retrieving eggs from a woman’s ovaries and fertilizing them with sperm outside of the woman’s body. The fertilized egg or eggs are then inserted into the uterus, where they will hopefully implant in the uterine lining and develop into a successful pregnancy. If our North Houston fertility specialist has shared that North Houston IVF using your eggs is unlikely to result in a successful pregnancy, then you may want to consider IVF with donor eggs instead.

What Is North Houston IVF With Donor Eggs? 

There are a few reasons our Kingwood fertility specialist or The Woodlands fertility specialist may recommend North Houston IVF with donor eggs, such as:

• Age-Related Diminished Ovarian Reserve: as you get older, your egg count and egg quality can diminish, leading many to choose to receive donor eggs.
• Premature Ovarian Failure: If you are young, but your eggs count is low, it could be due to a number of environmental factors, such as chemotherapy, radiation treatments, autoimmune disorders, and genetic factors.
• Genetic Mutations: Multiple miscarriages are often discovered to be the result of genetic anomalies that prevent a viable pregnancy, often requiring the use of donor eggs.

Locating a Suitable Egg Donor for Your North Houston IVF Treatment

Many times, hopeful parents choose a trusted friend or family member to serve as an egg donor for their Kingwood IVF or The Woodlands IVF treatment. But if you need help finding suitable donor eggs, our North Houston fertility specialist can put you in touch with an egg donor agency or egg bank. An egg donor agency connects healthy egg donors with intending parents, often helping couples find donors who match specific genetic traits. The donor and the parent will usually undergo the IVF process at the same time so that their menstrual periods line up.Or, if you’d prefer to select frozen donor eggs, an egg bank may be the place to start. Just like at an agency, an egg bank may be able to match intending parents with certain characteristics they might be looking for. 

North Houston IVF With Donor Eggs Process

Once a suitable egg donor has been located, you'll begin the IVF process. This means the collecting the eggs from your donor's ovaries and introducing them to sperm in our lab. If your donor eggs came from an egg bank, in which they were frozen, we'll first thaw the eggs in order to prepare them for fertilization. We will then introduce the sperm to fertilize the egg and allow the embryo to reach the blastocyst stage. The fertility specialists at our Kingwood fertility clinic or The Woodlands fertility clinic will then conduct genetic testing called Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT). This is done through a simple biopsy on the embryo in order to determine if your embryo has a high chance of leading to a successful birth. If we determine the embryo is genetically healthy, then we will prepare your uterus for pregnancy by giving you hormonal medications designed to encourage your body to go through the same hormonal changes it would with a traditional pregnancy. Once ideal hormone levels have been reached, the embryo will be transferred to your uterus with the help of an abdominal ultrasound. This painless procedure will take place in one of our North Houston fertility clinic locations.

HART Fertility Can Guide Your North Houston IVF with Donor Eggs Journey

We know that your path to parenthood may not be as simple as you intended, but there is still hope thanks to our team of knowledgeable and compassionate North Houston fertility specialists and individualized treatment options. Call us today to discuss your reproductive goals and see how we can help.

There are a variety of options available for those hoping to get pregnant amidst fertility issues. Two of those options at our North Houston fertility clinic are IVF with donor eggs and IVF with a gestational carrier, each of which is used to address different causes of infertility. This article will discuss the IVF process and then explain the differences between these two procedures and which one may be right for you.

What is North Houston IVF?

In vitro fertilization, or IVF, is the process of retrieving eggs from the ovaries and introducing them to sperm outside of the woman’s body. The fertilized egg or eggs are then inserted into the uterus, where they will hopefully implant in the uterine lining and develop into a successful pregnancy.

How Is IVF With a Gestational Carrier Different?

The North Houston IVF with surrogate process begins with the same steps as a typical IVF procedure. What makes IVF with gestational carrier different is that instead of the mother’s uterus, the embryos will be placed in a surrogate’s uterus in the hopes that it will lead to a successful pregnancy. If so, the surrogate will carry the baby to term. This may be recommended at our Kingwood IVF and The Woodlands IVF clinics for:

• Women who have medical problems with their uterus
• Women who have had a hysterectomy
• Women of advanced age 
• Women with underlying conditions that may make pregnancy risky
• Gay couples

What Is North Houston IVF With Donor Eggs? 

North Houston IVF with donor eggs, on the other hand, is pursued for those who are likely able to carry the pregnancy, but require eggs from a donor due to the following reasons:

• Age-Related Diminished Ovarian Reserve: age contributes to infertility, so many women with low egg counts or poor egg quality choose to receive donor eggs.
• Premature Ovarian Failure: oftentimes issues such as chemotherapy, radiation treatments, autoimmune disorders, and genetic factors lead to low egg count, as well.
• Genetic Mutations or Disease: Multiple miscarriages are often discovered to be the result of genetic anomalies that prevent a viable pregnancy, often requiring the use of donor eggs.

Finding a Suitable Surrogate or Donor Eggs for North Houston IVF

• Surrogacy: some parents may ask someone they know to act as a gestational carrier, while others turn to agencies that match intending parents with women who are interested in serving as surrogates. Regardless of how you match with a surrogate, clearly establish your expectations for the process, including an initial medical exam, legal agreements, and any other issues of importance for each person involved. Doing so before beginning the IVF with surrogate process will ensure a smooth and straightforward experience for all. 
• Donor Eggs: Like those seeking surrogates, many choose someone they know and trust to serve as an egg donor for their Kingwood IVF or The Woodlands IVF treatment. But sometimes patients need or choose to turn elsewhere when selecting an egg donor, such as egg donor agencies or egg banks. These organizations connect healthy egg donors with intending parents, often helping couples find donors who match specific genetic traits. 

Our North Houston Fertility Clinic Can Help you Understand These Treatment Options

If you still have questions regarding North Houston IVF with a gestational carrier or donor eggs, you should schedule an appointment at our Kingwood fertility clinic or The Woodlands fertility clinic and get the information you need from our trusted and informed fertility specialists. We look forward to guiding your next steps with warmth and compassion.

If you’ve been struggling to get pregnant on your own, you may be exploring other paths to parenthood, such as In Vitro Fertilization, or IVF. This important decision warrants proper research, as you want a compassionate Kingwood IVF or The Woodlands IVF specialist with a proven record of success. But given the personal nature of your fertility journey, there are many other factors to consider when choosing an IVF clinic that will meet your unique needs, which is why our fertility specialists have compiled this list of what to look for when choosing a North Houston fertility clinic.

What Should your North Houston IVF Specialist Offer?

A reputable North Houston fertility clinic will have most or all of these available at the heart of their practice:

• Detailed Records: not only should your North Houston IVF specialist keep detailed records of their success rates and outcomes, but they should also report annually to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technologies (SART), which tracks pregnancy rates from clinics across the country. Our Kingwood fertility clinic, as well as our The Woodlands fertility clinic both report to SART, as we believe in providing our current and prospective clients with the transparency you deserve.
• Wide Range of Services to Meet your Needs: Sometimes patients come into our North Houston IVF clinic expecting one treatment, but discovering a different approach is more appropriate. For that reason, you want to choose a clinic that offers a variety of diagnostic and therapeutic options to address infertility, such as ours.
• Board-Certified North Houston IVF Specialists: Board Certification demonstrates a level of expertise not found among all practitioners. Our North Houston IVF doctors and specialists are board-certified and well-versed in the latest research in the field of fertility. 
• On-Site Laboratory: Since many fertility treatments and diagnostics require use of laboratory technology, an on-site lab is an important feature of the most reputable IVF clinics, and our Kingwood fertility clinic and The Woodlands fertility clinic are no exceptions. In fact, ours is the only IVF lab in North Houston. 
• Access to Donor Egg and Donor Sperm Banks: Both our Kingwood fertility clinic and The Woodlands fertility clinic work closely with reputable egg and sperm donor banks that provide a wide number of diverse options for donor egg and sperm should that be a part of your fertility journey.

Trust Your Instincts When Choosing a North Houston IVF Specialist

Don’t ignore your intuition when making this important decision, as you want this choice to “feel right” for you and your fertility journey. Begin by reviewing the clinic’s website for SART data, services offered, and customer testimonials, all of which will provide insight as to whether or not it’s a good fit. If so, you'll want to schedule an initial consultation, which not only gives you an inside look at the clinic’s day-to-day operations, but also an opportunity to ask any questions you may have and learn the clinic’s treatment recommendations.

See Why So Many Trust Our North Houston Fertility Clinic

Whether it’s at our Kingwood IVF clinic or The Woodlands IVF clinic, our patients have trusted us to provide diagnostic and therapeutic options to address their fertility needs. We’ve been honored to provide quality, compassionate care to hopeful parents since 1985 and we’d be honored to provide the same for you. If you’re exploring your fertility options, schedule an appointment with one of our North Houston IVF specialists and see why so many have chosen HART Fertility Clinic for their reproductive needs.