Treatment Options: Assisted Conception
The treatment available to couples experiencing infertility largely depends on the specific cause and severity of their problem, along with personal preferences and beliefs. Some couples may only require diagnosis and specialist advice from a doctor, who can try to pinpoint the cause of infertility and provide a non-medical solution. For others, they will medical assistance or, in some cases, to look at assisted methods of conception such as IVF, as detailed below.
Assisted Conception
Techniques of assisted conception have helped countless infertile couples across the world to become parents. The medicine and technology behind these techniques greatly improve all the time, with success rates rising. Assisted conception is often the most viable option for couples who exhibit infertility for over 3 years, or who have permanent problems such as damaged fallopian tubes or badly dysfunctional sperm. Every treatment is catered to the patients’ needs and circumstances, regularly supplemented with fertility drugs to further improve the chances of conception.
However, it is important to note that approximately 1 in 5 couples who use assisted conception end up with a baby. The procedures are not cheap, and they are necessarily invasive. Long term health problems are rare for a baby conceived in this way, but certain techniques can slightly raise the risk of birth defects. Multiple pregnancies can also arise. In brief, here is an outline of various techniques:
- In vitro fertilisation (IVF) involves extracting eggs from the female’s ovaries and placing them with sperm from the male. This takes place in a laboratory, with the aim of creating an embryo to be transplanted into the uterus.
- Donated eggs, sperm or embryos. If the female’s eggs or the male’s sperm are inadequate for conception, eggs or sperm from a donor can be used and combined with the partner’s egg or sperm. In the case of problems with both partners, a donated embryo is an option.
- Intrauterine insemination is a fairly simple technique to improve the chances of conception, in which the male’s sperm are placed directly into the female’s uterus while they are ovulating (as this is the ideal time for placement).
- Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) uses eggs removed from the female and sperm from the male, which are combined and then replaced in the fallopian tubes before fertilisation. Fertilisation then occurs within the body, with natural implantation of the embryo.
- Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). One sperm is precisely injected into one egg outside of the body in a laboratory. When this develops into an embryo, it is transferred into the uterus.
- Surrogacy depends on a woman outside of the couple to carry and give birth to their child. This will be an embryo created in one of the above ways.
Deciding on a method of assisted conception requires a great deal of thought and consideration, both in terms of the emotional toll and monetary factors. You should speak to a professional about the options open to you and the likelihood of successful conception.