The production of human eggs is essential to conception. It is also a delicate process that requires most of your body's hormones being in balance. That does not always happen. If you have been trying to conceive for some time, and your egg production is a little "wonky," a fertility doctor can help in all of the following ways.

Prescribe Estrogen, Progesterone, and FSH

Manufactured hormones are used to regulate female reproductive cycles. However, long-term usage of these hormones for preventing pregnancy can cause problems for people trying to conceive. This is usually why your OB recommends that you do not attempt to conceive until you have been off contraceptives for a few months and your own cycle has self-regulated.

In cases where you have not been on contraceptives for some time, prescribing certain doses of manufactured hormones may be needed to get your cycle going in the right direction. For example, follicle stimulating hormone, or FSH, is responsible for egg production and the rupture of the eggs from the ovaries into the Fallopian tubes. Your fertility doctor may prescribe much higher amounts of these hormones than your body is used to in order to produce several viable eggs for fertilization.

Once egg production has been verified, your fertility doctor then may prescribe supportive amounts of estrogen to keep the eggs moving and developing as they should. This is tapered off once the eggs reach the uterus, where progesterone is given to ensure implantation after fertilization.

More Than One Egg and Multiple Births

It is very possible that you will produce eight or more eggs through fertility treatments of this nature. You can discuss with your doctor ahead of time whether or not you will extract eggs for future use, fertilize all of the eggs and freeze embryos, or carry on with having multiple births at one time (e.g., "Octo-mom"). There are notable complications with attempting to carry more than two babies to term at one time. Your physiology and previous live births will dictate your ability to do this.

Harvesting Extra Eggs or Freezing Extra Embryos

The viability of eggs and embryos is about the same, so long as they remain frozen. If they are thawed, they have less than three days before neither eggs nor embryos are viable for implantation. This is an important decision you will have to make with your fertility doctor prior to taking FSH and other hormones to regulate your cycle and produce extra eggs. Check out the site to learn more.