nfertility is nothing new. Women–and men–have been dealing with it for centuries: Marie Antoinette, author Sylvia Plath, actress Courteney Cox, and even actor Tom Arnold suffered from fertility issues.

Couples dealing with infertility may feel that they’re alone, but this health issue is more common than you may think. In 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 2.1 million married women, ages 15-44, were considered infertile and  considerably more (7.3 million) were using infertility services.

It’s important for couples to realize that clinical infertility is declared only after the couple has attempted natural conception for a year. However, Dr. Jose Aun, a fertility and gynecology specialist who has been treating patients for the past 13 years from his westside El Paso office, said that couples can opt for treatment as early as eight months into the “trying period.”

According to Dr. Aun, infertility in females is often caused by hormonal deficiencies, blocked Fallopian tubes, and irregular menstrual cycles brought on by stress or weight issues. “In males, low sperm count is most commonly to blame,” said Dr. Aun. In cases of male infertility, a visit to a urologist is necessary. In addition, Dr. Aun stated that the lifestyle a couple experienced before coming together (including the number of past sexual partners) has an effect on the future outcome of fertility.

“Keep a healthy weight, limit alcohol, limit smoking, and begin a folic acid vitamin regimen once [you’re] ready to begin trying to conceive,” he advised. Previous contraceptive use may also take a toll on women’s reproductive ability. Although Dr. Aun said that contraceptives in pill form are reversible, it is Depo Provera, the three-month shot, which can often take a year to leave the system.

Once a person is found to be infertile, various treatments are available. For women there are oral medications available, artificial insemination, and in-vitro fertilizaiton (IVF). Men found to be infertile may need to undergo a procedure known as a “sperm wash,” which results in a concentration of sperm cells within sperm fluid or a surgery to treat a diagnosed varicose seal, which blocks the passage of sperm. All of these procedures are expensive and usually not covered by health insurance companies.

After a diagnosis of Endometriosis, a medical condition where hormonally-charged cells grow onto areas outside of the uterus and cause sterility, Maria Garcia and her husband decided they still wanted to try to conceive.“If God wanted me to have a baby, at least we could say we tried,” the 38-year-old said.

Garcia, who is not Dr. Aun’s patient, said they tried artificial insemination about five years ago, and when that was unsuccessful they tried IVF, a series of self-injected hormones.“It was a painful treatment. It felt like I was injecting fire into my belly button,” Garcia remembered. She also said that after seeing how painful and how expensive the treatments were, they decided to stop IVF after a month.

That is when Garcia said that they also gave up on trying, but at the persistence of their doctor, the dosage of IVF was lowered and one more artificial insemination was administered. And to their delight, this try was successful. Garcia now has a four-year-old daughter, Carolina–thanks in part, she said, to the persistence of her doctor, their willingness to try, and “a lot of praying to Pope John Paul II.”

Alternatives to conventional medicine, such as acupuncture, diets and supplements through holistic medicine, also exist for treating infertility. Though the success rates in these particular treatments vary, changes in diets have shown to produce results. For couples that are dealing with infertility, Garcia said she does recommend treatment. She suggests that a couple should know their limits and “be grounded, because the thought of having a baby can be addictive.” You need to know when you’ve reached the point of ‘I’ve tried’ and accept that it’s good enough.