IVF and Beyond: Local Infertility Treatments That'll Boost Your Chances of Getting Pregnant

Many women grow up believing that, at some point, they’ll find a guy, settle down and have a family. But it doesn’t always work that way. “One in eight women has fertility problems,” says Gregory Fossum, M.D., director of reproductive endocrinology at Thomas Jefferson University.

And the more you delay pregnancy for career or social reasons, the harder it is to get a plus sign on that pregnancy test, says Michael J. Glassner, M.D., founding partner of Main Line Fertility and Reproductive Medicine and founding director of the Center for Reproductive Medicine at Bryn Mawr Hospital, who notes that a woman’s fertility peaks in her early 20s and starts to decline before she hits 30. “There is no magic formula that works for everybody, and it’s best to think of this as a process rather than as a simple solution,” advises Dr. Glassner. “That’s why it’s so important for women to know their options and to talk with their doctor about formulating a game plan that is right for them from day one.”

Though not every woman will walk away a success story, the odds are slanted in their favor. “Treatment has really changed in the last 10 years or so,” says Dr. Fossum. “It’s not 100 percent, but there’s so much we can do.”

Check out the best ways to beat whatever is standing in the way of you and a baby — they’re all available in the Philadelphia region.

BABY BOOSTER NO 1: CLOMID — FOR PCOS OR OTHER OVULATION PROBLEMS