Table 3.
Treatments for Infertile Couples (n=370)
| Treatment | n (%) |
|---|---|
| Number of office visits | |
| Mean | 4.6 |
| Median | 4 |
| [minimum-maximum] | [1-22] |
| Number of coordinated cycles of treatmenta | |
| Mean | 12.3 |
| Median | 10 |
| [minimum-maximum] | [1-80] |
| Type of fertility cycle tracking | |
| Creighton Model | 297 (80) |
| Otherb | 51 (14) |
| None | 22 (6) |
| Vitamins and supplements | 302 (82) |
| Folic acid | 231 (63) |
| Vitamin D | 202 (55) |
| Magnesium | 160 (43) |
| Pycnogenol | 63 (17) |
| Iodine | 58 (16) |
| Probiotic | 19 (5) |
| Iron | 21 (6) |
| Vitamin E | 15 (4) |
| Avoid Vitamin C | 80 (22) |
| Miscellaneous supplements | 71 (19) |
| Lifestyle advice | 164 (44) |
| Advice for female weight loss | 56 (15) |
| Advice for female weight gain | 14 (4) |
| Any other advice about diet or exercise | 126 (34) |
| Advice about sleep | 67 (18) |
| Advice about stress management | 74 (20) |
| Avoid chemical exposures | 33 (9) |
| Any medical treatments | 356 (96) |
| Medications to enhance cervical mucus productionc | 299 (81) |
| Any ovulation drug | 229 (62) |
| Clomiphene | 111 (30) |
| Letrozole | 176 (48) |
| Injectable ovulation drug | 9 (2) |
| Drugs influencing insulin/glucose metabolism (primarily metformin) | 85 (23) |
| Any luteal hormonal support | 279 (75) |
| Luteal progesterone | 267 (73) |
| Luteal human chorionic gonadotropin | 54 (15) |
| Low-dose naltrexone | 164 (44) |
| Thyroid hormone supplementation | 39 (11) |
| Piroxicam for 3 days prior to the predicted time of implantation | 73 (20) |
| Antidepressant | 34 (9) |
| Antibiotics for infection | 13 (4) |
| Advice to discontinue antihistamines | 19 (5) |
| Other medications | 33 (9) |
| Surgeries, women | 176 (48) |
| Laparoscopyd | 169 (46) |
| Other female surgery | 15 (4) |
| Any male treatmente | 81 (22) |
aMissing data for 4 women
bIncludes Sympto-Thermal (n=56), Billings ovulation method (n=2), Marquette model (n=1)
cIncludes vitamin B6, guaifenesin, amoxicillin, cephalexin, erythromycin
dBy referral to surgeon. Often, laparoscopy revealed endometriosis, which was usually treated by excision or ablation. In some cases, laparoscopy also involved other interventions, such as lysis of adhesions or ovarian drilling
eIncludes lifestyle advice, antioxidant and other supplements, antibiotics, clomiphene, sildenafil, referral for varicocele surgery