Why are fellowship training and board certification important?
Physicians who treat infertile individuals and/or couples may have several types of training. The average obstetrician/gynecologist receives four years of training in the field of obstetrics and gynecology and typically receives no more than two months of training in the area of infertility. This training in infertility is very limited and frequently focuses on the female with very little emphasis on male problems. Physicians who are trained in the area of reproductive endocrinology and infertility typically receive two to three years of intensive training (a fellowship) in infertility and endocrinology. This gives them special expertise in this area. Physicians who undergo this type of specialty fellowship training are generally not responsible for routine obstetrics or gynecology care. Therefore, they have done a great deal of reading as well as research in infertility, and are experts in the most recent literature on treating and diagnosing infertile individuals or couples. Once a p
