Understanding the cause of infertility helps to find cure

But Assisted Reproductive Technology has come to the aid of many who have persevered and found joy  Most cases of female infertility are caused by problems with ovulation. 

Without ovulation, there are no eggs to be fertilized. Some signs that a female is not ovulating normally include irregular or absent menstrual periods. 

Ovulation problems are often caused by Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is a hormone imbalance problem which can interfere with normal ovulation. PCOS is the most common cause of female Infertility. Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) is another cause of ovulation problems. 

POI occurs when a female’s ovaries stop working normally before she is 40. POI is not the same as early menopause. Less common causes of fertility problems in women include, blocked fallopian tubes due to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, Endometriosis, or surgery for an ectopic pregnancy. 

There may be physical problems with the uterus; or uterine fibroids, which are non-cancerous clumps of tissue and muscle on the walls of the uterus.

There are many techniques available for remedy. They are: 

In vitro fertilization (IVF) means fertilization outside of the body. IVF is the most effective Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). It is often used when a woman›s fallopian tubes are blocked or when a man produces too few sperm. Doctors treat the woman with a drug that causes the ovaries to produce multiple eggs. Once mature, the eggs are removed from the woman. They are put in a dish in the lab along with the man’s sperm for fertilisation. After three to five days, healthy embryos are implanted in the woman’s uterus.

Zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT) or Tubal Embryo Transfer is similar to IVF. Fertilization occurs in the laboratory. Then the very young embryo is transferred to the fallopian tube instead of the uterus.

Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) involves transferring eggs and sperm into the woman›s fallopian tube. So fertilization occurs in the woman›s body. Few practices offer GIFT as an option.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is often used for couples who have serious problems with the sperm. Sometimes, it is also used for older couples or for those with failed IVF attempts. In ICSI, a single sperm is injected into a mature egg. Then the embryo is transferred to the uterus or fallopian tube. ART procedures sometimes involve the use of donor eggs (eggs from another woman), donor sperm or previously frozen embryos. 

Donor eggs are sometimes used for women who cannot produce eggs. Also, donor eggs or donor sperm are sometimes used when the woman or man has a genetic disease that can be passed on to the baby. An infertile woman or couple may also use donor embryos. These are embryos that were either created by couples in infertility treatment or were created from donor sperm and donor eggs. The donated embryo is transferred to the uterus.

Surrogacy: Women with no eggs or unhealthy eggs might also want to consider surrogacy. A surrogate is a woman who agrees to become pregnant using the man’s sperm and her own egg. The child will be genetically related to the surrogate and the male partner. After birth, the surrogate will give up the baby for adoption by the parents.