Having to struggle with infertility can be frustrating and upsetting. Knowing you can’t get pregnant as easily as others can lead to other mental issues like depression and anxiety. Both women and men can be infertile despite the common knowledge that it only affects the female reproductive system. There are many ways one can become infertile. Previous illnesses or new ones can contribute to one being infertile. Previous illnesses or new ones can contribute to fertility. Conditions like thyroid and pelvic inflammatory disease can be the cause of being infertile.
If you are looking for ways to help you conceive, there are many ways to work around infertility. Though some try to use natural ways to boost fertility, sometimes it isn’t enough and there is a deeper issue that can’t be fixed. As science and the knowledge of the reproductive system grows along with technology there will be more options available. Now, there are a few ways that you can conceive a child. IVF fertility clinics have come up with these ways to help those who cannot have children through prescription drugs and even surgeries.
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1. In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
In vitro fertilization, also known as IVF, is a procedure that has evolved over time that many couples go through to help the eggs and sperm fertilize. The doctor removes the eggs from the woman’s uterus and places them with the sperm in a lab for fertilization which takes a few days to complete. Once that is done, they are placed back in the uterus. Hope begins to set in as you wait to see if it takes or not.
Sometimes it doesn’t take and the procedure has to happen more than once. This procedure is popular for women who have issues with their fallopian tubes or suffers from endometriosis.
2. Fertility Drugs
Fertility drugs are usually given to women who have ovulation issues and help boost fertility in both women and men. Ovulation medication stimulates the uterus to produce more eggs. Doctors may prescribe a medication called clomiphene citrate as it is the most popular drug for infertility.
Fertility drugs are available for men as well. Many issues that men have with their reproductive system revolves around the sperm. Those who have lower levels of testosterone may take medication to help build sperm count and quality. Appropriate levels of testosterone are provided through injection of gonadotropin. Like with any medication there are side effects. You want to make sure you consider the side effects of the drugs you are prescribed are okay enough for you to feel comfortable taking them. Consult your doctor if you feel like you aren’t, so you can decide on another option.
3. Intrauterine Insemination
Intrauterine insemination, also known as IUI, is a treatment that many couples decide on. It may be the simplest procedure for fertility treatments. To understand this process, you can compare it to IVF. For example, IVF requires both sperm and egg to be fertilized outside of the body and in a lab, while IUI only requires a sperm sample. The sperm sample is taken and placed directly into the woman’s uterus through a small tube.
This is an ideal option for men who have ejaculation problems or issues with their sperm quality. If the sperm cannot swim up to the fallopian tubes efficiently, then it is classified as weaker sperm. The treatment comes with medication for the woman so she can produce more than enough eggs for the insemination. With this procedure there are risks. Having multiple births causing twins, triplets, and so on can be something that happens.
4. Surgery
Surgeries are completed for certain specific reproductive issues. Some surgeries can lessen the effects of the condition or reverse the entire thing as a whole. Many women and men go through surgeries to help them conceive a child. Women who have endometriosis or uterine fibroid have the option to get surgeries to repair tissues and the uterus to help them get pregnant. A laparoscopy is a popular form of surgery that is used for different types of conditions, for example:
- Endometriosis lesion
- Hydrosalpinx
- Tubal adhesions
- Ovarian cysts
- Uterine fibroid
Men who have varicocele can be corrected surgically. Even those who have had vasectomies done can have them reversed to increase fertility. Sperm count and quality is the main reason why men have to go through fertility treatments. When there is no sperm count at all in the semen, surgeries can be performed to retrieve the sperm from the testicles directly.
