All you need to know about infertility trials

If you’re struggling for funding you might like to look at participating in infertility trials. As with any experimental treatments there are risks involved, so ensure that you do your research beforehand!

The Center for Human Reproduction (CHR) has a list of a variety of infertility trials that are searching for participants, but don’t get too excited you should know what you’re getting yourself into.

To start with you’ll need to qualify for the trials. For instance they could require Asian women married to Latino men skinnier than themselves, who live in Alaska and breed Burmese cats. Confirm that you are completely sure about the qualification criteria before you get started. Also confirm with your doctor before you submit an application.

What are the scientists trying to achieve? If the researchers just require facts and figures then it could not be of direct benefit to you, but they could also be offering innovative treatments which aren’t yet generally available.

What research processes are they using? Some tests will employ placebos, so you may not be gaining any real gain from the trial yourself, but you’ll be helping the scientists to find out if the therapy really works. A placebo is when they hand out dummy pills rather than pills with the testable chemical in them to confirm that it is the medication that is working, and not your positive thinking.

Talk about costs beforehand. You may only have to pay minimal expenses if the trial is fully funded. Each study is different, so verify costs before you get involved.

Are there any possible risks? Make sure that you are aware of precisely what the risks are and discuss them with your partner. You have no guarantee that the treatments will work – they might, but then again, they may not. The choice is all yours!

Although you might not gain from a specific trial, your contribution will have benefitted other infertile couples. Do your homework, make your choice, and go with it!

Here is more information on Infertility Cost. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Infertility.