Fertility Issues and Treatments
THE BABBLE TAKE
Conception is one step in a long biological process involving many factors. If anything goes wrong at any step of the way, infertility could result. In many cases, there's more than one reason a couple can't conceive: it could be anything from a failure to ovulate, to weak sperm, to inability to carry
a pregnancy to term. In general, experts say, couples should try to conceive for a
year before seeking treatment. The exception to this rule is if the woman is over thirty-five, in which case age may be a contributing factor to her infertility and it's wise to
seek treatment as soon as possible. Once a couple seeks help, testing is performed on both partners. If a problem is detected, the couple proceeds accordingly, with
the help of their doctor. Treatments range from minimally invasive measures such as hormone therapy and artificial insemination to more complicated procedures such as in-vitro fertilization
or egg donation.
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"Infertility is usually defined as not being able to get pregnant despite trying for one year. A broader view of infertility includes not being able to carry a pregnancy to term and have a baby. Infertility affects about 6.1 million Americans or 10 percent of the reproductive age population."
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"The granddaddy of all fertility treatments, artificial insemination, dates to the early 1900s. Back then, all you needed was some healthy sperm and something akin to a turkey baster. Today, sperm is "washed" and carefully placed in the uterus, and the procedure has a fancy new name: intrauterine insemination, or IUI."
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American Pregnancy Association, "Infertility"
"Medications are a regular and normal part of infertility treatments and the IVF procedure. These medications are used to prepare the body for treatment and to increase the probability that more healthy eggs are released from the ovaries. Your reproductive specialists will evaluate your situation to determine the most appropriate medications for your treatment process."
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"About 12 percent of women (7.3 million) in the United States aged 15-44 had difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a baby to term in 2002. 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."
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"Some people take their fertility for granted, but getting pregnant isn't as easy as you might expect. For a couple between the ages of 29 and 33 with no fertility problems, there is a 20 percent to 25 percent chance of pregnancy in a given month, according to the National Women's Health Resource Center. Conception is largely a matter of good timing."
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