The easiest and most obvious answer is to ask your fertility doctor.
If you live in a major city in Canada, you’ll have access to a quality fertility clinic to provide you with an answer.
Unfortunately, in many cities, there’s only one fertility clinic. Seeking a second opinion can be stressful and difficult.
Here’s one solution for you: look for a second opinion with a physician in the Greater Toronto Area. There are so many clinics in Toronto, many will be willing to do a telephone consultation with you. Yes, you can expect them to encourage you to do IVF at their clinic. But in the meantime, you might get a lot of information that will help you.
Perhaps you’re contemplating a second opinion from a provider in the United States. This is a good option, too. You can expect them to ask you to come to their clinic for treatment. However, for very little cost to you financially and without taking up a lot of your time, you can get guidance on your situation.
Talking to anyone new can be nerve-wracking, especially when you can’t see their facial expressions or read their body language. Make sure you have the following key information written down so you can reference it easily and make the most of your time on the phone:
- Your age.
- If you have fibroids, polyps, or other reasons to think that you have a uterine structural problem.
- A test of your ovarian reserve, including day-three FSH, antral follicle count and/or AMH.
In theory, sperm counts are useful information, but not as much as you might think. In most cases, if there’s a problem with sperm, it can be treated with ICSI.
Finally, there’s an online tool you may find convenient. It costs about $50. It’s limited in how precise it can be in your individual circumstances, but it’s entirely objective and based on good science from the University of Ottawa and Boston IVF. You can find it here: www.UNIVFY.com.