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It's Been a Year

Now What?

Part II

By Lyn Mettler

If you've decided you're ready to get into the infertility game, it can be very confusing to know where to start. Should you see your OB/GYN? A urologist? The reproductive endocrinologist? Your family doctor?

Checking out the male is a good place to start, and the best way to do that is through a semen analysis. According to Dr. William Keye, director of reproductive endocrinology and in vitro fertilization for Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., there's no need to go to a urologist to have this done unless he has some history of medical problems that might affect fertility. Getting the semen analysis can be as simple as calling your family doctor, explaining your situation and asking him to call in the order for the test. The female may choose to see her OB/GYN – perhaps bringing it up at her annual exam – or her family physician or the reproductive endocrinologist. If she's older, in a hurry or has a history of medical problems, she might consider going straight to the reproductive endocrinologist, Dr. Keye says. "[The reproductive endocrinologist] can act as a quarterback and direct the care," he says. That way you have one person treating the couple as a whole, not one doctor treating the female and one the male.

If you're younger and not in a hurry, the OB/GYN or family physician may be able to begin some of the initial tests required for the female. However, Jackie Meyers-Thompson, co-author of Fertility for Dummies

Want to see more?

• Myth Busters: 10 Not-so-true Statements
• The Infertility Marketplace: How Success Rates Are Advertised
• Trouble Conceiving? Get the Right Medical Care
• Check out our Article Library.
• Talk about it!

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