Fertility Problems – Treatments for Women
Problems Ovulating
If you are found to have problems ovulating, you may be prescribed by your doctor a medicine called clomiphene (Clomid, Serophene, Milophene). This medication (in pill form) will assist in stimulating your ovaries in releasing an egg, as a result improving your odds in getting pregnant. This is often the first form of treatment doctors advise because it is considered safe and effective.
If your doctor diagnoses you with a condition called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), you might be suggested to take a drug called metformin in addition to taking clomiphene by your doctor.
If these medications don’t work which they don’t always, the next typical treatment would consist of receiving hormone shots. Before jumping into this treatment you and your partner should have a discussion about the risks and benefits. If you and your partner agree in hormone shots, you will start receiving shots at the beginning of your menstrual cycle. You’ll probably have minor side effects such as bloating or a feeling of nausea. Some more serious side effects may occur if the women has multiple large ovarian cysts. Another risk which may concern you and your partner is that taking hormonal injections increases your chances in having twins, triplets, or even more babies than what you wished for.
Unexplained Infertility
If your doctor cannot figure out why you cannot become pregnant, you will be diagnosed as having unexplained infertility. The first step for treatment is similar to that of a woman with ovulation problems. Your doctor will probably suggest that you start taking clomiphene. And he may recommend that you start to take hormonal injections if that doesn’t work. However, for couples with unexplained infertility you can choose a different course of action, that is, insemination. This involves putting the male’s sperm directly into the uterus, thus increasing your odds in getting pregnant. And if this fertility treatment doesn’t work, then you’ll have the choice in doing In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), which is very expensive.
Blocked or Damaged Tubes
If you don’t have ovulation problems, or marked with unexplained infertility, you may have blocked or damaged tubes. If you have blocked tubes, fertilization cannot take place. Your egg cannot be fertilized by the sperm. If you have a partial blockage, then you may want to consider surgery to try and correct the damage. Couples choosing this route statistics have shown that about 20% to 60% of women have successfully turn out to be pregnant after getting the surgery depending on what part of the tube was blocked. If you have a more server blockage or your tubes or more damaged than usual, doctors may recommend going straight to in vitro fertilization (IVF). And if you are over the age of 35, doctors usually recommend in vitro fertilization (IVF) no matter how severely your tubes are or are not damaged.
Endometriosis
If you are diagnosed with Endometriosis then your doctor may recommend laparoscopic surgery which will remove endometrial tissue growth. However, if this doesn’t work you’ll have the option to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF), but understand this; in vitro fertilization doesn’t usually work as well for women who have been diagnosed with endometriosis.
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
Many couples who have fertility problems end up at this point. That is if they should undertake the fertility treatment in vitro fertilization (IVF). In vitro fertilization is similar to the other procedure known as assisted reproductive technology (ART). In vitro fertilization is expensive and may not work, and some couples choose to adopt a child rather than undertake in vitro fertilization. While other couples will test and see if in vitro fertilization is their best alternative.
If you choose the in vitro fertilization route, then the man’s sperm will be mixed with the woman’s egg in a lab. Once your doctor has done this, he will put one or more fertilized eggs which are now embryos back into your uterus so they can grow. Once the embryo is back in the uterus it is just like having a normal pregnancy, however, usually couples and doctors put more than one embryo back in which increases your chances that one of the embryos will develop into a baby.
In vitro fertilization increases a couple’s chance of having multiple babies in one pregnancy. And the chances of having twins increases to about 1 in 3 or 1 in 4. This also depends on how many embryos are placed back into the uterus after fertilized in the lab.
In vitro fertilization may not before you. It is emotionally, physically, and financially taxing. IVF involves getting blood tests regularly, hormone injections daily, and monitoring by your doctor. You’ll also experience side effects such as feeling sick or bloating, or even liver or kidney problems. And if the embryos do not grow, then all these steps must be repeated. However, there is some good news. About ever 1 in 3 woman who go through an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle get pregnant and has a baby. But this also is dependent on how experience your doctor is in performing this type of fertility treatment, and how old you are.
What may concern you is the ethicality issue surrounding in vitro fertilization. The main issue arising is what should couples do with the left over embryos. You and your partner will have to decide on what you think is morally right or wrong to do.
