Infertility treatment options depend on the causes of infertility which may be due to male infertility or female infertility. Based on the exact cause of infertility, a treatment plan is made. Here are some treatment options of infertility, read on to know better.Today there are various infertility treatment options available for a couple to have a child of their own. The exact infertility treatment plan will vary from case to case depending upon the exact cause or causes of infertility. Treatment plan will also depend upon whether the cause of infertility is from the female side, the male side, on both sides, or if it is unexplained. Statistically 85% to 90% of couples dealing with infertility require simple techniques like medication or surgery. Only a small percentage of infertile couples require to be treated with Assisted Reproductive Technologies, like IVF. Following are some the treatment options for infertility. In this articleFertility DrugsSurgeryIUI - Intrauterine InseminationAssisted Reproductive TechnologiesFertility Drugs Ovulation disorders are responsible for almost 25% of female infertility. The first line of treatment to correct ovulation issues is medication. With the help of fertility drugs a woman can ovulate 75% of the time. Some of the most popularly used fertility drugs to induce and improve ovulation include: Clomid - Clomid is the first drug which most doctors use in treatment of infertility in women. Research has indicated that 40% of couples using Clomid get pregnant within six cycles of use. Femara - This is another medicine which is effective in inducing women with ovulatory disorders. Although the success rate of using Femara is almost the same as that of Clomid, medical studies have indicated the possibility of a link between use of Femara and an increased risk of birth defects. Gonadotropins - Gonadotropins include FSH, LH, or a combination of the two. These hormonal medications are normally used when clomiphene citrate fails or if the pituitary gland is unable to create LH and FSH on its own. These medications are often used during IVF procedures also. Surgery Surgery is the only solution for infertility associated with problems of the fallopian tubes or with the lining of the pelvis and abdomen. For example if blockage of fallopian tube is diagnosed during the hysterosalpingogram test a laparoscopic surgery may be immediately performed to correct the problem.IUI - Intrauterine Insemination Intrauterine insemination also known as artificial insemination is a procedure which involves putting the specially washed sperm directly into the uterus. This treatment is used in certain cases of male factor infertility, when there are problems with the womans cervical mucus, or in cases of unexplained infertility. The success rate of IUI is not very high although it is far more cost effective as compared to IVF. Assisted Reproductive Technologies Assisted reproductive technology (ART) refers to infertility treatment involving the embryos or the eggs. These include IVF, GIFT, and ZIFT. IVF is the most common form of ART in use today. During the IVF - in vitro fertilisation procedure fertility drugs are used to stimulate the ovaries to produce eggs. Once a sufficient number of good quality eggs are produced, the eggs are retrieved from the womans ovaries in an out-patient procedure. Thereafter, the eggs are placed together with sperm and left for fertilisation to take place. After fertilisation, one to three embryos are directly placed inside the womans uterus. GIFT and ZIFT are two more ART techniques. In GIFT - Gamete intra-fallopian transfer, the egg and sperm are placed together into one of the womans fallopian tubes for fertilisation. In case of ZIFT- zygote Intra-fallopian transfer, the zygote is placed in one of the fallopian tubes. This is usually done via laparoscopic surgery. Couples trying to have a baby with the help of various infertility treatment options must take into considerations two important aspects before deciding upon the line of treatment- age of the woman and cost of treatment. Based on these two factors and in consultation with a doctor it would be possible for a couple to decide the best course of action suitable to them.
Infertility treatment options depend on the causes of infertility which may be due to male infertility or female infertility. Based on the exact cause of infertility, a treatment plan is made. Here are some treatment options of infertility, read on to know better.Today there are various
infertility treatment options available for a couple to have a child of their own. The exact infertility treatment plan will vary from case to case depending upon the exact cause or causes of infertility. Treatment plan will also depend upon whether the cause of infertility is from the female side, the male side, on both sides, or if it is unexplained.
Statistically 85% to 90% of couples dealing with infertility require simple techniques like medication or surgery. Only a small percentage of infertile couples require to be treated with Assisted Reproductive Technologies, like IVF. Following are some the treatment options for infertility.
Fertility Drugs
Ovulation disorders are responsible for almost 25% of female infertility. The first line of treatment to correct ovulation issues is medication. With the help of fertility drugs a woman can ovulate 75% of the time. Some of the most popularly used fertility drugs to induce and improve ovulation include:
Clomid - Clomid is the first drug which most doctors use in treatment of infertility in women. Research has indicated that 40% of couples using Clomid get pregnant within six cycles of use.
Femara - This is another medicine which is effective in inducing women with ovulatory disorders. Although the success rate of using Femara is almost the same as that of Clomid, medical studies have indicated the possibility of a link between use of Femara and an increased risk of birth defects.
Gonadotropins - Gonadotropins include FSH, LH, or a combination of the two. These hormonal medications are normally used when clomiphene citrate fails or if the pituitary gland is unable to create LH and FSH on its own. These medications are often used during IVF procedures also.
Surgery
Surgery is the only solution for infertility associated with problems of the fallopian tubes or with the lining of the pelvis and abdomen. For example if blockage of fallopian tube is diagnosed during the hysterosalpingogram test a laparoscopic surgery may be immediately performed to correct the problem.
IUI - Intrauterine Insemination
Intrauterine insemination also known as artificial insemination is a procedure which involves putting the specially washed sperm directly into the uterus. This treatment is used in certain cases of male factor infertility, when there are problems with the woman's cervical mucus, or in cases of unexplained infertility. The success rate of IUI is not very high although it is far more cost effective as compared to IVF.
Assisted Reproductive Technologies
Assisted reproductive technology (ART) refers to infertility treatment involving the embryos or the eggs. These include IVF, GIFT, and ZIFT. IVF is the most common form of ART in use today.
During the IVF - in vitro fertilisation procedure fertility drugs are used to stimulate the ovaries to produce eggs. Once a sufficient number of good quality eggs are produced, the eggs are retrieved from the woman's ovaries in an out-patient procedure. Thereafter, the eggs are placed together with sperm and left for fertilisation to take place. After fertilisation, one to three embryos are directly placed inside the woman's uterus.
GIFT and ZIFT are two more ART techniques. In GIFT - Gamete intra-fallopian transfer, the egg and sperm are placed together into one of the woman's fallopian tubes for fertilisation. In case of ZIFT- zygote Intra-fallopian transfer, the zygote is placed in one of the fallopian tubes. This is usually done via laparoscopic surgery.
Couples trying to have a baby with the help of various infertility treatment options must take into considerations two important aspects before deciding upon the line of treatment- age of the woman and cost of treatment. Based on these two factors and in consultation with a doctor it would be possible for a couple to decide the best course of action suitable to them.
