One in 8 couples (or 12% of married women) have trouble getting pregnant or sustaining a pregnancy. Infertility is defined as the inability to get pregnant after regular sexual intercourse without the use of any contraceptive methods for 6 months for those 35 years old or over, or 12 months for those under 35.(1) Under normal circumstances the ability to get pregnant is at the most 25% each month. This number declines over time and starts to decline more rapidly once a women reaches her thirties, so that by age 35, the likelihood of getting pregnant each month is down to about 15%, and by age 40 it’s down to less than 10%.
Fertility tourism is the practice of traveling to another country for fertility treatments. It may be regarded as a form of medical tourism. The main reasons for fertility tourism are legal regulation of the sought procedure in the home country, or lower price. In-vitro fertilization and donor insemination are major procedures involved.
iui versus ivf : While approaching an IVF specialist in order to conceive baby, infertile couples come across several options through which they can achieve their goal. These include IUI, IVF and surrogacy. People wishing to carry their child and avoid using a surrogate get to choose between IVF and IUI. But here comes the big dilemma which procedure to choose?
Ovarian reserve testing. To determine the quantity and quality of your eggs, your doctor might test the concentration of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol (estrogen) and anti-mullerian hormone in your blood during the first few days of your menstrual cycle. Test results, often used together with an ultrasound of your ovaries, can help predict how your ovaries will respond to fertility medication.
Of course, if you have a history of infertility or any factors that might impede fertility, it makes sense to arm yourself with the right help right from the start. Once you make that appointment with a fertility specialist, you and your doctor will follow the same treatment plan that would be put into place if you were dealing with primary infertility.
The Fallopian tubes are the site for fertilization before the embryo makes its way to the uterine cavity for implantation. If the Fallopian tubes are damaged, fertilization may not occur. If one Fallopian tube is blocked, it may be due to inherent disease involving both Fallopian tubes; even if the other Fallopian tube is open, it may not be able to provide the appropriate nurturing environment for fertilization and early embryo growth to take place.
Women who switch from IUI to IVF sooner or begin with IVF get pregnant quicker than those who stick or start with IUI. One study found that undergoing immediate IVF resulted in superior pregnancy rates with fewer treatment cycles compared to those who did two rounds of IUI before switching to IVF. While the immediate IVF group got pregnant quicker, the overall success after up to 6 IVF cycles was similar.
Oral drugs used to stimulate ovulation include clomiphene citrate and aromatase inhibitors. While taking these drugs, you will be monitored to see if and when ovulation occurs. This can be done by tracking your menstrual cycle or with an ovulation-predictor kit (an at-home urine test). You may be asked to visit your doctor for a blood test or ultrasound exam.
In the natural process of conception without treatment, a woman’s ovaries produce a mature egg each month, which leaves the ovary and travels along the fallopian tube towards the uterus. Sperm that has been deposited in the vagina through intercourse travels through the cervix through the uterus and up the fallopian tube toward the egg. Millions of sperm are lost in the cervix and do not travel to the fallopian tube. When the two meet, they join to form the early stage of an embryo which then travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus. If all goes well, it will implant in the lining of the womb and pregnancy begins.
Fertility expert Zita West has noticed this increase at her London clinic. "The main reason," she explains, "is age. Women are having babies later." Exhaustion also plays a part. "The sleeplessness of life with a small child can't be underestimated," she says. "You might still be breastfeeding, you might be sharing a bed with a toddler, you might be holding down a job at the same time. Basically, there's not a lot of sex happening."
Couples experiencing infertility have a range of treatment options. Women can take fertility drugs to stimulate ovulation, or undergo certain surgeries and procedures, like intrauterine insemination, which carefully places healthy sperm in the uterus right before an egg is released to increase the chances of fertilization. Men can also take fertility medication or undergo surgery to increase the chances of conception.
Addressing lifestyle issues is not meant to be a quick fix, and typically does not lead to instant success. However, with unexplained infertility every little bit counts, so don’t fret or give up. Do not assume just because the cause of infertility is unexplained, it is untreatable or there is no pathway to parenthood. When a specific cause is not determined for women, and male infertility has also been ruled out, our fertility specialist may begin a course of treatment to improve the chances of conception and pregnancy. The speed with which interventions are offered depends on each individual’s own needs and desires as determined by age and other factors.