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An infertility specialist is a physician that specializes in the treatment of male and female infertility. A board certified infertility specialist is also called a Reproductive Endocrinologist (RE). Effective infertility treatment is commonly centered on detailed knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the function and balance of hormones of the ovaries, testes, pituitary (and other brain centers), thyroid and the adrenal glands.
A physician must complete a residency in Ob/Gyn before being eligible for further training as a Reproductive Endocrinologist. Training as a Reproductive Endocrinologist necessitates the completion of an additional two/three-year fellowship program approved by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. During this fellowship training program, emphasis is placed on the effective management of male and female infertility, the surgical management of reproductive abnormalities, the best use of infertility medications and the application of advanced assisted reproductive technologies.
Numerous studies have shown that when treated by a qualified infertility specialist, the chances for success is better, conception will occur sooner and as a result, the cost involved to achieve success will be less.
Assisted reproductive technologies include treatments that can be prescribed to assist with conception. Even though some of these treatments involve less technological-advanced procedures such as intrauterine inseminations, more advanced technologies such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) are frequently implied. Also see information sheet on Assisted Reproductive Technologies from ASRM.
Boffo defines something as excellent, triumphant, a conspicuous success. An oocyte that is “boffo” is the exception rather than the rule for any healthy human female in any given month. Said differently, a woman in the prime of reproductive life, in any given cycle, is more likely to ovulate a flawed oocyte than one that is boffo. If she has a half-dozen healthy children that would still be true. This is so, in large measure, because unfavorable perturbations in the intricate conversations between the brain and ovary are commonplace. For some young women, of course, these lapses in communication may occur on a more frequent basis.
The remedies vary from simple to complex. It is also true that the single most common explanation for a failed IVF cycle in a center with a quality IVF laboratory is the failure to retrieve an oocyte that is boffo.
Some insurance plans require that you are referred to an infertility specialist by your primary care physician (PCP) which may be your OB/GYN. When a referral is required, it is the patient’s responsibility to obtain such a referral before any office visit, testing or treatment.
Sometimes precertification or authorization is required. Typically, a number is issued by the insurance company to authorize a specific service, test, procedure or medication. Depending on the insurance, the infertility specialist or the patient may be able to obtain the authorization.