When navigating the rough and rocky road of assisted reproductive therapy (ART), it's nice to have a spotlight illuminating the path. Think of the ultrasound as your personal spotlight, shedding light into areas that have been, until recently, shrouded in darkness and mystery. For many who have struggled with infertility, ultrasounds, both vaginal and abdominal, have been an irreplaceable tool in reaching their fertility goals.

For Randi Clarken, mother of 4-year-old twins from Hillsborough, N.J., ultrasounds were an important component to her eventual conception success. Clarken chose to begin having children later in life, and she and her husband had a difficult time conceiving. Because of her age, the Clarkens began aggressive ART almost immediately, and ultrasounds played a large part.

"I had four IUIs (intrauterine inseminations) with injectable drugs," says Clarken. "I injected the drugs into my abdomen and then went for ultrasounds to determine how many eggs were appearing on my ovaries and what their sizes were."

When that failed, Clarken was put on a round of drugs to prepare her for in vitro fertilization (IVF). Technicians performed ultrasounds almost daily during that period of time. The second IVF worked, and at age 41, she conceived her twins.

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