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B5 I) Increasing Fertility
B5 I) Increasing Fertility
We can increase fertility by using hormones and IVF.
Hormones
Some women have low levels of FSH, which means that their eggs don’t mature properly and are therefore not released, thus meaning that these women cannot become pregnant. Women that have this issue can take tablets that contain FSH and LH hormones. The taking of these tablets causes the levels of these hormones to increase, which results in eggs maturing properly and being released, thus meaning that the woman can now become pregnant. However, this treatment does not always work, and it can cause multiple eggs to mature and be released, which can result in multiple pregnancies (twins or triplets).
Some women have low levels of FSH, which means that their eggs don’t mature properly and are therefore not released, thus meaning that these women cannot become pregnant. Women that have this issue can take tablets that contain FSH and LH hormones. The taking of these tablets causes the levels of these hormones to increase, which results in eggs maturing properly and being released, thus meaning that the woman can now become pregnant. However, this treatment does not always work, and it can cause multiple eggs to mature and be released, which can result in multiple pregnancies (twins or triplets).
IVF
In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) is another method that low fertility couples can use to become pregnant. During IVF, the woman is given FSH and LH to cause multiple eggs to mature and be released. These eggs are then collected by scientists at a clinic and then fertilised in a laboratory with the males’ sperm. The fertilised eggs are grown into embryos in a laboratory incubator. The cells in the embryos multiple creating tiny balls of cells. One or two of these embryos/ tiny balls of cells are transferred into a woman’s uterus (we transfer a few balls of cells to increase the chances of success).
The benefits of IVF is that couples who are struggling to conceive naturally are able to have a child (if the IVF is successful).
However, there are quite a few negatives. The first negative is that the success rate of IVF is extremely low – around 20-35%. This means that IVF can be a very emotional process especially if it is not successful after multiple attempts. Also, the process is quite physically stressful for the woman as they are given a lot of hormones; some women have bad reactions to the hormones, such as vomiting and abdominal pain. A final negative is that IVF can lead to multiple births if more than one of the inserted embryos grows into a baby – multiple births increase the risk for both the mother and babies as there is a greater chance of miscarriages and stillbirths.
In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) is another method that low fertility couples can use to become pregnant. During IVF, the woman is given FSH and LH to cause multiple eggs to mature and be released. These eggs are then collected by scientists at a clinic and then fertilised in a laboratory with the males’ sperm. The fertilised eggs are grown into embryos in a laboratory incubator. The cells in the embryos multiple creating tiny balls of cells. One or two of these embryos/ tiny balls of cells are transferred into a woman’s uterus (we transfer a few balls of cells to increase the chances of success).
The benefits of IVF is that couples who are struggling to conceive naturally are able to have a child (if the IVF is successful).
However, there are quite a few negatives. The first negative is that the success rate of IVF is extremely low – around 20-35%. This means that IVF can be a very emotional process especially if it is not successful after multiple attempts. Also, the process is quite physically stressful for the woman as they are given a lot of hormones; some women have bad reactions to the hormones, such as vomiting and abdominal pain. A final negative is that IVF can lead to multiple births if more than one of the inserted embryos grows into a baby – multiple births increase the risk for both the mother and babies as there is a greater chance of miscarriages and stillbirths.
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