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9 Fertility Dos and Don'ts

When you're having trouble trying to conceive, your emotions are running high, and that can leave you feeling alone and confused when you start to think about what's next. So we asked Ali Domar, Ph.D., a professor of Ob-gyn and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School and the Director of Mind/Body Services at Boston IVF, to reveal the top nine dos and don'ts of fertility to clear up any confusion.

Don't Wait to See a Specialist

If you want to have a baby and traditional at-home babymaking methods aren't resulting in a plus sign, you shouldn't wait too long before asking a specialist for help. If you're under 35 and have been trying for a year or more, it's time to see an infertility specialist, and you should wait only six months if you're 35 or older. According to a GfK Roper survey released in April 2011, among couples seeing a fertility specialist or reproductive endocrinologist for treatment, 91 percent wish they had started doing so sooner. Bottom line: The sooner you see a physician, the more likely you are to get pregnant. Dr. Domar says new research shows that women who get prompt treatment can have almost a 90 percent chance of conceiving. But if you wait with false hope that you'll be able to do it on your own, your chances for success go down every single month.

Should You See a Fertility Specialist?

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