The fertility issues in both men and women of reproductive age have been rising at a fast pace over the last decade. The major contributing factors to this growing infertility problem include changes in lifestyle, late marriages, unhealthy choices, age, environmental factors, job pressure, and stress.
What is Infertility?
Infertility is the inability to conceive a child even after regular unprotected intercourse for over a year. There can be many reasons one may face difficulty in achieving pregnancy, including both female and male factors infertility.
In such cases, you need to visit a fertility specialist for the diagnostic process to determine the underlying cause of the issue in conceiving. Your healthcare provider will run some fertility tests and may recommend suitable infertility treatments like fertility medications, Intrauterine insemination (IUI), and other Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART).
Before we understand how to conceive with infertility, it is essential to know about the common causes of infertility in both men and women.
Common Causes of Female Infertility:
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Damaged or blocked fallopian tubes (tubal infertility)
Smoking & Excessive alcohol consumption
Endometriosis
Age of a woman
Ovulation Problems
Pelvic inflammatory disease
Stress
Unexplained infertility
Uterine fibroids
Common Causes of Male infertility:
Low Sperm Count
Poor Quality Sperm
Malformed sperm
Varicocele (enlargement of veins in the scrotum)
Chronic health problems like Diabetes, Hypertension, etc.
Stress & Depression
Genetic Disease
High Consumption of alcohol
Environmental causes (Excess exposure to heat and harmful toxicants)
Hormonal disorders
Infertility doesn’t mean you can’t get pregnant:
Earlier it was considered that infertility is only a female problem. However, as per the latest data, approx 30-40% of all infertility cases are because of male factors alone. However, infertility doesn't necessarily mean you can't get pregnant. Medical technologies like ART have evolved enough to make parenthood possible even after infertility.
What is Assisted Reproductive Technology?
Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) means fertility treatments and procedures to help couples who are unable to conceive naturally. ART is a complex procedure involving manipulating eggs, sperm, or embryos to increase the chances of a successful pregnancy.
ART is generally recommended when other fertility treatments like Intrauterine insemination (IUI) have not been successful or when there is severe male factor infertility, tubal obstructions, or severe cases of endometriosis in females.
Different Infertility Treatments to Help You Conceive
1. In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
IVF is a set of medical procedures to fertilize eggs and sperm outside the body. IVF process involves stimulating ovaries to retrieve a mature egg, fertilized with the sperm in a lab. The resulting embryo is placed back into the uterus. IVF is the most effective form of fertility treatment, with a higher success rate as compared to other ARTs.
2. Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)
IUI, or intrauterine insemination, involves washing, filtering, and preparing a man's sperm to be placed directly inside a woman's uterus during ovulation. Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is the simplest and least expensive method of assisted reproduction.
3. Zygote Intrafallopian Transfer (ZIFT)
Zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT) is also an assisted reproductive procedure and is similar to IVF, and the eggs are retrieved and fertilized with sperm in a lab as in IVF. The only difference is that in ZIFT, the fertilized egg at this stage, called zygotes, is transferred into the fallopian tube instead of the uterus with laparoscopic surgery under general anesthesia.
4. Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer (GIFT)
Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer (GIFT) procedure involves collecting eggs from the ovaries, which are then placed in the catheter along with the sperm. Both eggs and sperm are injected into the fallopian tubes using a surgical procedure called laparoscopy. Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer is more suitable if the IVF cycle is unsuccessful or if there are other or unexplained infertility issues.
5. Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
ICSI treatment is a technique that is a part of the IVF procedure where the quality sperm are extracted surgically and physically injected into an egg after the mature egg is retrieved during IVF. ICS is recommended when there is multiple factor infertility such as blocked fallopian tube & sperm disorder.
6. Other Methods
However, before moving straight to assisted reproductive technology, your fertility doctor may recommend lifestyle changes, timed intercourse, medical surgeries, or certain fertility drugs to help you ovulate. If that doesn’t work, you may have the option to go for the infertility treatments mentioned above.
Consult a Fertility Specialist
We highly recommend talking with a fertility specialist at the best IVF center in Pune in case you’re having trouble conceiving or seeking fertility treatment to achieve pregnancy. A highly experienced fertility doctor at Crysta IVF will guide and plan individualized treatment based on your medical condition and needs.
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