You may not have been familiar with fertility specialists before starting your journey to conceive. Unlike more commonly known medical professionals such as dentists or dermatologists, fertility specialists, also known as reproductive endocrinologists, play a critical role in diagnosing and treating infertility issues. These specialists undergo extensive education and training, becoming board-certified in both obstetrics and gynecology as well as reproductive endocrinology. This rigorous process includes four years of undergraduate education, four years of medical school, a four-year residency in obstetrics and gynecology, and a three-year fellowship in reproductive endocrinology, along with successful completion of comprehensive oral and written examinations.
Fertility specialists are qualified to diagnose, treat, and help with fertility problems in the following ways.
- Perform tests for infertility: For women, these tests include reviewing their medical history, performing a physical exam, checking a woman’s fallopian tubes, ordering blood tests to monitor ovulation and hormone levels, and performing a pelvic ultrasound. For men, this involves semen testing at a laboratory.
- Determine treatment based on a diagnosis: A lot of different things can contribute to infertility, and many of these are treatable. Treatment options vary and depend on a diagnosis, as well as the possible side effects, cost, duration, and success rates of a type of treatment. Fertility specialists are qualified to weigh all of these factors and suggest the best course of treatment for a patient.
- Prescribe fertility medications: Reproductive endocrinologists have a medical degree and can prescribe certain fertility drugs to help women ovulate regularly.
- Perform insemination procedures: Fertility specialists can perform intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF). Women who have tubal damage, ovarian abnormalities, or endometriosis, or men with certain conditions of infertility, may be advised to try one of these forms of insemination.
- Perform certain surgeries: Fertility specialists can perform minimally invasive surgery to treat certain conditions, like endometriosis or uterine polyps. This includes removing tissue, restructuring parts of the reproductive organs, or reversing tubal ligations that could prevent a woman from getting pregnant.
- Fertility preservation services: A reproductive endocrinologist can assist with things like unfertilized and fertilized egg freezing, ovarian tissue freezing, and sperm freezing.
- Answer questions and help patients find support: For many people, infertility is an emotional experience. Fertility specialists are available to answer their patients’ questions, as well as refer them to counseling services that specialize in reproductive problems.
When it comes to your reproductive health, your OB/GYN can help in many different ways. However, fertility specialists are uniquely qualified to diagnose and correct fertility problems.
Did you know? Depending on your role at Walmart, you may be eligible for:
- Up to $20,000 in coverage for fertility treatment services (such as egg freezing, IVF, and donor services)
- Medications fully covered as part of fertility services
- Up to $20,000 in coverage for adoption and surrogacy services Access to Kindbody clinics located across the country.
Covered travel expenses associated with receiving services Benefits are subject to major medical cost share. To qualify, you must be eligible for Walmart’s Travel Benefit and live over 100 miles from a Kindbody clinic.
You can email walmart@kindbody.com or call the Care Navigation team at 855-454-7663 if you have any questions about the program.
