Treating Infertility

Treating infertility is an exact science on the run, learning the better and best way to treat and result to conception, pregnancy and live birth. Conflicting studies have overshadowed successes and failures but the very goal of infertility treatment is very valuable that every chance is taken. Probabilities are stretched and 2% improvement on probable success is admitted. It is truly operating on the very limits of the origin of life.

There are many approaches in treating infertility. The first one is thru medication and drugs. Some of these induce ovulation and egg production (like Clomiphene), some help in hormonal imbalance and for men, help in the production of sperm. Other drugs act as a “supplement” of various hormones to encourage pregnancy or carry the fetus to full term. Hormone treatments like FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) can help the follicles mature eggs and the human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) can assist in the release of those eggs. These treatments can complement each other and prime the reproductive system to conceive.

There are also surgical approaches to treating infertility. For women, endometriosis (severe cases) needs surgery to remove the tissues in specific areas that is causing the condition. For men, surgery can remove obstruction in sperm ducts that is causing the failure of fertilization. Sometimes surgery and drugs are used together to maximize results as in the case of severe endometriosis.

Perhaps the most amazing and talked about treatment for infertility is assisted reproductive technology (ART). The most common method under this is the In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). This technology uses the latest discoveries in reproductive health and is making a lot of noise. This is a very complex process and it costs a lot too (up to $10,000 – $12,000). It involves the stimulation of the ovaries, harvesting the eggs, fertilizing them outside the body and returning the embryos back to the uterus where it will hopefully attach to the lining and result in a pregnancy and ultimately, live birth. The success rates on IVF is still marginal (20%) but for many couples, definitely worth the try.

Treating infertility thanks to science is becoming better at inducing pregnancy and carrying that pregnancy to full term. But there is still a long way to go. 15% of infertility cases are still caused by unknown factors. Without the technology to test and diagnose what is really wrong, infertility might just have to be a struggle still.

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