John S. Rinehart

If we have eggs, we need sperm to create embryos! So, while you were having your eggs retrieved for insemination, your partner was probably collecting a sperm sample. Or, perhaps you are using frozen sperm from your partner or a sperm donor. Regardless of the method or source, the laboratory will be working with that specimen to get it ready to meet its partner.

Infertility and getting pregnant is no exception to the world of “fake news.” Is it real or isn’t it? Surprisingly enough, this phenomenon has existed in the field of science and medicine for . . . ever. From the early “snake oil salesmen” to the pills and potions of self-proclaimed shamans to the latest news bulletin claiming that immortality is just around the corner, medical professionals often find themselves trying to separate the glitter from the goods.

Are there long-term health effects of fertility medications, or gonadotropins, which are natural hormones normally produced by the body? When you go through menopause, the blood levels of all of these hormones are going to be far higher than anything that can be attained by injecting fertility medication. However, when given to women of reproductive age, whose ovaries can and do respond, they are powerful stuff.

Yay! Can you believe it? You made it out of the Infertility Club, and you are now part of the Pregnant Club. We knew you could do it! So, no worries, right? Well, maybe not so much. You may have just replaced one set of worries with another. No sweat! In this list, we offer some help as you “graduate” from your fertility clinic to your obstetrician’s office.

Women’s infertility issues can be very complex because so many different systems can be at fault. Is the problem uterine, tubal, hormonal, age-related, or ovarian? Any one of these problems can cause enough trouble to prevent you from becoming and staying pregnant. A healthy uterus Maybe you had an HSG to evaluate your fallopian tubes and uterus, or maybe you had a hysteroscopic surgery for an even closer look into the uterus.

All the components of your reproductive tract — the vagina, uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and the glands that orchestrate your hormones — have to work together perfectly for you to be able to get pregnant.Although your menstrual cycle seems simple enough, a lot of things, unfortunately, can go wrong and impact your fertility.

If you're trying to get pregnant, you will use a lot of home pregnancy tests (HPTs). They’re widely advertised on TV, depicting a couple excitedly waiting for the good news or a tense woman alone hoping for the happy news that she’s not pregnant. Here's all you need to know about HPTs. ©Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.

Assuming you know how all your parts work, are you ready to have a baby? Yes? Then it’s time to have sex. No, not right now. (Well, okay, if you must, but proper timing will enhance the chance for pregnancy.) So, it is important to have sex when the timing is right. How do you know when the timing is right? This is more than just mood lighting and foreplay.

When some fertility test results come back, you may be even more confused than you were before. If your partner’s semen analysis comes back with some results askew, he may be too embarrassed to ask what the results mean.Semen samples can vary from month to month, or even day to day. That’s because it takes about 72 days for sperm to develop.