The Fertility Care Journey

As each patient and family unit is unique, there is no "typical" fertility care process. However, a successful journey begins with understanding the important stages of the care path.

During your consultation your doctor will listen to your concerns, discuss the results of your tests, review any previous treatment, and answer any questions you might have. You may also have transvaginal ultrasound performed during this visit to measure your ovarian reserve.

In most cases you and your doctor can formulate your treatment plan at your initial appointment so that you can begin your treatment. Occasionally more testing and a follow-up visit may be necessary to determine which course of treatment is best for you.

Learn more about how to prepare for your first visit and what to expect here: Your First Appointment.

In order to create your personalized treatment plan, you and your partner (intended egg provider or intended sperm provider) need to complete a fertility workup with us, which includes blood tests to determine your overall health and the level of your reproductive hormones. Your fertility doctor may order some further imaging tests to determine the health of your reproductive organs.

Tests may include:

• Blood work and baseline hormone evaluation
• Antral follicle count (ultrasound)
• Hysterosalpingogram (HSG)
• Hystero-Contrast-Salpingography
• Semen Analysis

More on Fertility Tests

We understand how physically and emotionally demanding fertility care can be. There are many things you can do to improve your overall wellbeing, and prepare yourself and your partner to conceive successfully.

Olive works with practitioners that can support you on fertility journey by providing:

• Acupuncture for fertility
• Mindfulness for fertility
• Nutrition counselling and weight management
• Stress and relationship counselling

More on Fertility Wellness

Your doctor will create a treatment plan based on your individual goals and diagnosis. Depending on the type of treatment, you may require several blood tests, ultrasounds, and procedures, during which time you may meet several different Olive team members. However, you will always be in contact with your personal care team and your doctor will be overseeing all your treatment.

Treatments and solutions offered at Olive include:

• Treatment of ovulatory disorders
• Minimally invasive surgery
• Ovulation induction
• Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
• In vitro fertilization (IVF)
• Third-party and reciprocal reproduction solutions
• Awareness/support while using gender affirming hormones (for conception and sperm production)

Many women experience at least one miscarriage. If you have had one or two miscarriages, it will not normally affect your chances of carrying the next baby to term. 

Some people, however, experience repetitive, consecutive miscarriages known as recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). Recurrent pregnancy loss can be devastating, but it is important to remember that even if you have had multiple miscarriages, you still have a very good chance of eventually having a healthy pregnancy. In some cases, a cause can be identified and measures to taken to prevent future miscarriages.

Tests for RPL include:

• A comprehensive evaluation (as there are various reasons why RPL might occur) including blood tests (hormones, blood clotting proteins, chromosome analysis) and imaging of the uterus (usually a hysteroscopy).
• The sperm producing partner may also require testing, including blood test for chromosomal analysis. 

For at least 50% of women with RPL, a cause for miscarriage will not be found.

Treatment options 

If a cause for RPL is identified, treatment is targeted to the specific cause. This may include various medications, surgery, or genetic testing of embryos (PGT-A). If a cause for RPL is not found, your physician will discuss the best approach towards achieving a healthy pregnancy.

Unexplained infertility occurs in about 15% of couples and individuals trying to conceive. It doesn’t mean there is no reason for your infertility, it just means that we can’t identify the cause with any of our current testing. 

The good news is that even though we can’t determine what is preventing you from getting pregnant, we can still help you achieve a pregnancy. 

There are several treatments for unexplained infertility including:

• Fertility drugs such as clomiphene citrate, or follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
• Intrauterine insemination (IUI) (artificial insemination of sperm into the uterus)
• In vitro fertilization (IVF)

Sperm issues account for approximately 40% of infertility. There are several heath and lifestyle factors that could be affecting the quantity and health of your sperm. 

Tests include:

• A semen analysis to determine your sperm quantity and quality 

Treatment options 

If you are having sperm issues, eliminating lifestyle factors like smoking, excess alcohol, and recreational drugs like marijuana and maintaining a healthy BMI and taking a multivitamin with antioxidants may improve sperm parameters and allow you to conceive naturally. 

Assisted reproduction, such as IUI or IVF-ICSI can help in situations when you are not able to conceive naturally. In some instances, extraction of sperm directly from the testicles is necessary. This would be reviewed by your specialist.

Olive clinic experts have shared helpful insights on the Olive blog. Check out the following quick reads to learn more.