Infertility treatments available today

 

What exactly is infertility and what possible treatments are available today! Those are the questions that we’ll try to answer in this article! Well, most experts define infertility as a condition when woman is not being able to get pregnant after at least one year of trying. It is also called the sterility! This definition is a bit incomplete because women who are able to get pregnant but then have repeat miscarriages are also said to be infertile. This is why- it is logical to assume that, if a woman keeps having miscarriages, it is also called infertility. People are often silent about all this and don’t like to go out in public with this! However, this isn't so rare problem because lots of couples have infertility problems. Who is guilty- man or a woman! Well, experts are saying that in about one third of cases- it is because of the woman, while in another third of cases, it is because of the man. The last third belongs to the unknown cause of infertility! What treatments are available today? Well, medications and surgery are common treatments.  Good thing is that, this is effective in almost two thirds of the cases!

 

Well, every couple that’s planning pregnancy should know that it represents on very complex process which requires that several anatomical structures, in both-man and woman, should be healthy and fully functional! The fact is that, in order to stay pregnant, several things must happen:

·         Ovulation must take place, which means that a woman must release an egg from one of her ovaries  

·         This released egg pass all along the fallopian tube toward the uterus  

·         One the other side-a man's spermatozoid must fertilize the egg  

·         When this happens- then the fertilized egg must implant itself to the inside of the uterus  

It is reasonable to assume that infertility can result from problems that interfere with any of these steps. Everything must be perfect in order to pregnancy take place! Statistical fact is that most pregnancies occur during the first six cycles of intercourse in the fertile phase. Which can be translated into the fact that, after 12 months of unprotected intercourse, approximately 85 percent of couples will become pregnant?  

Although we probably didn’t think of this as a big problem- the fact is that about 7. 3 million women or about 12 percent in the United States aged 15-44 had difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a baby. This is proven in several studies done by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Everybody should know that, especially men- that there are several things that can cause impaired sperm count or mobility, or impaired ability to fertilize the egg. The most common causes are:

·         general health and lifestyle issues

·         overexposure to certain environmental elements

 

There are also several things and different medical conditions that could be considered the main causes of female infertility. Some of the most common are:

·         Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

·         Early menopause (premature ovarian failure)

·         Cancer and its treatment

·         Excessive caffeine consumption 

·         Benign uterine fibroids

·         Ovulation disorders

·         Elevated prolactin (hyperprolactinemia)

·         Medications

·         Thyroid problems

·         Pelvic adhesions

·         Fallopian tube damage or blockage

·         Endometriosis

·         Other medical conditions such as Cushing's disease, sickle cell disease, HIV, kidney disease, diabetes…

 

Treatment of infertility these last couple of years has became one really hot subject because there are lots of couples who had problems with conceiving but are interested in getting babies. There are several different approaches in the infertility treatment and, beside the treatment of underlying condition, two most attractive and effective treatment forms are: medications and ART- assisted reproductive technology!

Some of the most commonly used medications are: 

A famous oral medicine used to treat infertility by inducing ovulation! Clomid does it acting on the pituitary gland. Interesting thing is that it is often used in women who have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)- condition that interferes with normal ovulation.  

Most commonly used medications from this group are Repronex and Pergonal. Unlike the previous group- these medications act directly on the ovaries to stimulate ovulation and they are usually administrated via injections! Another group of medications work on a same way and they are called Follicle-stimulating hormones.

These medications also work as Gn-RH analogs on the pituitary gland to change when the body ovulates. Interesting thing about them is that they could be given as a nasal spray!  

Almost everyone has heard about this drug because it is widely used by women who have insulin resistance or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). The action is simple- it helps lower the high levels of male hormones in women with these conditions which normally induces ovulation!  

Sometimes the ovulation is blocked because of high levels of one hormone called Prolactin! This hormone normally induces milk production but in excessive amounts –it can block ovulation!  

 

What exactly is this, by now extremely famous, assisted reproductive technology method! This is definitely method that has revolutionized the treatment of infertility because it is extremely effective! It is the result of the team of medical experts such as physicians, psychologists, embryologists, laboratory technicians, nurses and many other that, in conjunction with future parents planning everything step by step!

The most common forms of ART include:

 This is one extremely effective method in which the fertilization is done outside of the body. The main indications for this method are blockade of fallopian tubes or a low sperm count. First, women are injected with one medication that causes them to produce lots of eggs, which are later removed from the woman. In the lab, they are mixed with spermatozoids and that’s it! After this they are implanted in the woman's uterus again.

This is very similar method with only one difference - fertilization does occur in the laboratory but the young embryo is transferred to the fallopian tube instead of the uterus.  This is the biggest difference!

This is method where the fertilization occurs in the woman's body instead in lab!

During this method- a single sperm is injected into a mature egg. This is done in cases when the couple has really big problems with conceiving! 

 

Unfortunately- we should all be aware of one fact- in vast majority of cases- infertility isn't preventable, especially when we talk about men! However, experts are saying that simple avoiding of drug, tobacco and alcohol consumption may contribute to higher sperm count! Several researches done in the past have also shown that high atmosphere or water temperature can lower sperm count because it can affect sperm production and motility. That’s why- it is recommended to avoid hot tubs and steam baths.

If we talk about woman’s fertility, then we should know that a woman really can affect her ability to become pregnant! Some of the most common methods are:

·         Regular exercises could be the key because researches showed that regular exercise can help in maintaining the normal ovulatory cycle! Of course, on the other hand-exercising intensively make woman’s periods irregular or even absent!

·         Experts are saying that obesity because of modifying some hormones in your body can make pregnancy difficult! 

·         Like we have already mentioned –things such as alcohol, tobacco and drugs should be avoided! This also includes marijuana!

·         We can’t say- stop drinking coffee, but we can say- limit your daily intake of caffeine to no more than 250 milligrams of caffeine a day.