Finding An Infertility Option To Suit Your Situation
Fertility and conception doesn’t always run as smoothly as it ought, but if you are having trouble conceiving there is likely an infertility option that will help in your particular situation. Advancement in fertility studies have led to the development of medical procedures to help alleviate fertility problems and offer medically assisted options for conception. If you are unable to conceive, then it may be worthwhile speaking to an infertility counsellor if you are considering alternatives such as adoption or surrogacy.
IVF
The practice of IVF has helped many, many couples who have had trouble conceiving. IVF stands for In Vitro Fertilisation, which is an assisted reproductive technology. In the simplest of terms, IVF involves the fertilisation of the egg outside of the woman, followed by the transplanting of embryos into the uterus after conception. The procedure is complicated and involves careful work from highly skilled medical specialists in order to assist couples to conceive.
Egg/sperm donation
The choice to use a donor sperm or egg is an infertility option that can be used in conjunction with IVF. Donation is an option if one or the other (or possibly both) partners are unable to provide the necessary fertile egg or sperm. If the male is infertile, then the sperm donation option can be used and the insertion of healthy sperm can lead to conception. If the female is infertile, then a healthy donor egg is generally fertilised with the male’s sperm and transplanted into the uterus after conception.
Hormone therapy
Low levels of progesterone or high levels of oestrogen in women can lead to reduced fertility, so the use of progesterone hormone therapy is an infertility option that is quite straightforward. If you have had trouble conceiving, your doctor can take a blood sample from the female partner and run a simple test to check on progesterone levels. Low levels of progesterone will cause the uterus to shed the lining and menstruation to occur. In many instances, the woman will not even be aware that conception has occurred, but will simply menstruate every month believing that she is unable to conceive. The use of progesterone medication, injections or creams can help to boost progesterone levels to ensure that the embryo transplants in the uterus and can then develop through the course of the pregnancy.
Surrogacy
If infertility prevents the female from conceiving, an alternative infertility option is surrogacy. If the couple is considering this option, they need to have a surrogate willing to carry the baby to term. This option can be a difficult choice, as the surrogate mother must be both physically and emotionally able to handle this responsibility. If this option is being considered it would be wise to seek advice and counselling from an infertility counsellor who can meet and discuss this matter with all the parties involved and help to assess if this option could be a viable one.
Finding an infertility option that will help you and your partner to conceive and have the baby you are hoping for is an emotional and at times stressful experience. To choose the infertility option that will be most beneficial and have the most positive outcome for the couple can be complicated and seeking advice from an infertility counsellor as well as from medical experts can be a smart way to reach a positive outcome.
