More Evidence That Fertility Treatments May Not Be Any Better Than Trying Naturally

I'm always glad to see articles such as the one below which confirm my choice to conceive naturally. I realize that some couples may need fertility treatments depending on their diagnosis, however, for couples who are diagnosed with "unexplained" infertility, the natural route may be best. I have this article posted on my website, but if you haven't seen it, here it is. Read more:

Infertile advised 'keep trying'
Couples experiencing difficulties may still conceive naturally
Some couples having difficulty conceiving are better off continuing to try for a baby the natural way, say fertility experts.(BBC News)


From the article:

"Unexplained fertility problems - where no obvious abnormalities can be found - account for about 40% of female infertility and 8-28% of infertility in couples.

Data suggests that there is a 33-60% chance that such couples will conceive naturally over three years.

The latest study, by Pieternel Steures and colleagues at the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam, focused on couples with unexplained fertility problems who were estimated to have a 30-40% chance of conceiving spontaneously within 12 months.

The estimations were based on the woman's age, how long the couple had been experiencing subfertility and the results of lab tests, including sperm analysis.

Half were randomly assigned to the fertility treatment for six months and the other half were asked to carry on trying to conceive naturally for six months.

The fertility treatment, intrauterine insemination (IUI) with controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, involved using drugs to make the woman's ovaries produce eggs and inserting her partner's sperm directly into her womb.

With the fertility treatment, 42 (33%) women conceived and 29 (23%) had ongoing pregnancies. Similarly, in the group that carried on trying to conceive naturally, 40 (32%) women conceived and 34 (27%) had ongoing pregnancies.

Therefore, in terms of successful pregnancies, the fertility treatment added no benefit. Given the serious health risks associated with this form of assisted reproduction, expectant management would be a better option for these couples, say the authors.