Each IUI cycle costs roughly $500 – $4,000 while IVF typically costs $20,000. On a “cost-per-live-birth” basis, IUI looks favorable. However, after roughly 3 IUI cycles most IUIs will not work and and at this point the “cost-per-live-birth” for each additional IUI becomes unacceptably high.

Generally IVF is at least twice as successful as Artificial Insemination. Your success will also depend on your health. The healthier you are, the better your chances to get pregnant and carry a child to full-term are.

The main difference between an IUI and IVF treatments are: IVF is a process involving egg stimulation, retrieval, fertilization, and transfer; whereas, an IUI injects sperm into a uterus to decrease the sperm’s travel time to the egg.

Assisted reproductive technology. This involves retrieving mature eggs from a woman, fertilizing them with a man’s sperm in a dish in a lab, then transferring the embryos into the uterus after fertilization. IVF is the most effective assisted reproductive technology.

The most common fertility drug side effects are bloating, headache, breast tenderness, upset stomach, hot flashes, and mood swings. The most common fertility drug risks are conceiving a multiple pregnancy (like twins or triplets or more) and developing ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).

Drugs to cause ovulation

• Metformin (Glucophage): This can decrease insulin resistance.
• Dopamine agonists: These drugs reduce levels of a hormone called prolactin.
• Clomiphene (Clomid): This drug can trigger ovulation.
• Letrozole (Femara): Like clomiphene, letrozole can trigger ovulation.

“Folate supplementation prior to conception has been associated with a greater chance for getting pregnant, improved success with fertility treatments, and reduced risk of neural tube defects in the baby,” says Low Dog. “Though, more testing is needed.” For pregnant women, the RDA of folic acid is 600 micrograms (mcg).

How to get pregnant: Step-by-step instructions

• Record menstrual cycle frequency.
• Monitor ovulation.
• Have sex every other day during the fertile window.
• Strive for a healthy body weight.
• Take a prenatal vitamin.
• Eat healthy foods.
• Cut back on strenuous workouts.
• Be aware of age-related fertility declines.

Here’s what to avoid when you’re trying to get pregnant.

1. Smoking.
2. Excessive Caffeine.
3. Too Much Alcohol.
4. Being a Couch Potato.
5. Extreme Exercise.
6. Junk Food.
7. Chronic Stress.
8. High-Mercury Fish.

Not only are oranges, grapefruits and other citrus fruits one of the best sources for vitamin C, they’re also packed with potassium, calcium and folate—a B vitamin that can help you get pregnant by regulating ovulation and creating a healthy environment for eggs.