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What
is infertility?
Infertility as not being able to get pregnant
after at least one year of trying.
Is
infertility just a woman's problem?
No, infertility is not always a woman's
problem. In only about one-third of cases is
infertility due to the woman (female factors).
In another one third of cases, infertility is
due to the man (male factors). The remaining
cases are caused by a mixture of male and
female factors or by unknown factors.
What
causes infertility in men?
Infertility in men is most often caused by: (i)
problems making sperm -- producing too few
sperm or none at all (ii) problems with the
sperm's ability to reach the egg and fertilize
it -- abnormal sperm shape or structure
prevent it from moving correctly (iii)
Sometimes a man is born with the problems that
affect his sperm. (iv) Other times problems
start later in life due to illness or injury
What
increases a man's risk of infertility?
The number and quality of a man's sperm can be
affected by his overall health and lifestyle.
Some things that may reduce sperm number
and/or quality include: (i) alcohol/drugs (ii)
environmental toxins such as pesticide (iii)
smoking cigarettes (iv) a history of mumps (v)
certain medications (vi) radiation treatment
due to cancer.
What
causes infertility in women?
Infertility in women may occur
due to (i)Problems in ovulation (ii) blocked
fallopian tubes (iii) physical problems with
the uterus (iv) lumps in the uterus referred
to as uterine fibroids.
What
things increase a woman's risk of infertility?
Many things can affect a woman's ability to
have a baby. These include: (i) Increasing age
(ii) Stress (iii) Poor diet (iv) Being
overweight or underweight (v)smoking (vi)
Alcohol (vii) sexually transmitted diseases (viii)Health
problems that cause hormonal changes.
How
does a sexually transmitted disease cause
infertility ?
The bacteria responsible for causing a
sexually transmitted infection may gain access
above the cervix to the uterus and tubes, the
inside surfaces of the fallopian tubes are
denuded of their skin. An abscess may be
formed inside. Even when it gets resolved by
treatments with antibiotics, the denuded
inside of the tube may cause sticking together
of the walls of the tube so that there is a
blockage of the tube(s) later to sperm and
eggs. For normal pregnancy, the sperm and the
egg meet in the tube where fertilization takes
place.
How
does age affect a woman's ability to have
children?
Aging decreases a woman's chances of having a
baby in the following ways: (i) The ability
of a woman's ovaries to release eggs ready for
fertilization declines with age. (ii) As a
woman ages she is more likely to have health
problems that can interfere with fertility.
(iii) her risk of having a miscarriage
increases.
How
long should women try to get pregnant before
calling their doctors?
(i) Most healthy women under the age of 30
shouldn't worry about infertility unless
they've been trying to get pregnant for at
least a year. (ii) Women in their 30s who've
been trying to get pregnant for six months
should speak to their doctors as soon as
possible. A woman's chances of having a baby
decrease rapidly every year after the age of
30. So getting a complete and timely fertility
evaluation is especially important.
How
is a man tested for an infertility problem?
For a man, doctors usually begin by testing
his semen. They look at the number, shape, and
movement of the sperm. Sometimes doctors also
suggest testing the level of a man's hormones.
How
is a woman tested for an infertility problem?
As a part of evaluating infertility in a
woman, doctors may perform the following
tests: (i) Check for ovulation by means of
blood tests and ultrasound of the ovaries.
(ii) Hysterosalpingography: This is an X –ray
technique to check for functioning of the
fallopian tubes (iii) Laparoscopy: This is a
surgical technique by means of which doctors
use a tool known as laparoscope to see inside
the abdomen. Using the laparoscope, doctors
check the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus
for disease and physical problems.
How
do doctors treat infertility?
Infertility can be treated with medicine,
surgery, artificial insemination or assisted
reproductive technology. Many times these
treatments are combined. Doctors recommend
specific treatments for infertility based on:
(i) test results (ii) how long the couple has
been trying to get pregnant (iii) age of both
the man and woman (iv) the overall health of
the partners (v) preference of the partners.
How
successful are these infertility treatment
modalities?
About two-thirds of couples who are treated
for infertility are able to have a baby.
How
do doctors often treat infertility in men?
Doctors often treat infertility in men in the
following ways: (i) Sexual problems: If the
man is impotent or has problems with premature
ejaculation, doctors can help him address
these issues. Behavioral therapy and/or
medicines can be used in these cases. (ii)
Too few sperm: If the man produces too few
sperm, sometimes surgery can correct this
problem. Antibiotics can also be used to clear
up infections affecting sperm count.
How
do doctors often treat infertility in women?
Doctors often treat infertility in women in
the following ways: (i) Various fertility
medicines are often used to treat women with
ovulation problems (ii) Doctors also use
surgery to treat some causes of infertility.
Problems with a woman's ovaries, fallopian
tubes, or uterus can sometimes be corrected
with surgery.
What
is Artificial Insemination?
In this procedure, the woman is injected with
specially prepared sperm. Artificial
insemination is often used to treat (i) in
case the male partner is infertile. (ii)
women who have problems with their cervical
mucus (iii) couples with unexplained
infertility
What
is assisted reproductive technology (ART)?
Assisted reproductive technology (ART) is a
term that describes several different methods
used to help infertile couples. ART involves
removing eggs from a woman's body, mixing them
with sperm in the laboratory and putting the
embryos back into a woman's body. ART
procedures sometimes involve the use of donor
eggs (eggs from another woman), donor sperm,
or previously frozen embryos. Donor eggs are
sometimes used for women who can not produce
eggs. Also, donor eggs or donor sperm is
sometimes used when the woman or man has a
genetic disease that can be passed on to the
baby.
How
often is assisted reproductive technology
(ART) successful?
The average success rate has been seen to be
37 % for women less than 35 years of age.
With rising age, the success rate tends to
decline. Apart from age, success rates vary
and depend on many factors. Some things that
affect the success rate of ART include: (i)
reason for infertility (ii) type of ART
(iii) if the egg is fresh or frozen (iv) if
the embryo is fresh or frozen
What
are the different types of assisted
reproductive technology (ART)?
Common methods of ART include: (i) In vitro
fertilization (IVF) (ii) Zygote intrafallopian
transfer (ZIFT) (iii) Gamete intrafallopian
transfer (GIFT) (iv) Intracytoplasmic sperm
injection (ICSI)
What
is In vitro fertilization (IVF)?
IVF means fertilization outside of the body.
IVF is the most effective ART. It is often
used when a woman's fallopian tubes are
blocked or when a man produces too few sperm.
Doctors treat the woman with a drug that
causes the ovaries to produce multiple eggs.
Once mature, the eggs are removed from the
woman. They are put in a dish in the lab along
with the man's sperm for fertilization. After
3 to 5 days, healthy embryos are implanted in
the woman's uterus.
What
is Zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT) ?
ZIFT is similar to IVF. Fertilization occurs
in the laboratory. Then the very young embryo
is transferred to the fallopian tube instead
of the uterus.
What
is Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT)?
Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) involves
transferring eggs and sperm into the woman's
fallopian tube. So fertilization occurs in the
woman's body.
What
is Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)?
In ICSI, a single sperm is injected into a
mature egg. Then the embryo is transferred to
the uterus or fallopian tube. ICSI is often
used for couples in which there are serious
problems with the sperm. Sometimes it is also
used for older couples or for those with
failed IVF attempts.
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