Causes of Infertility

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Causes of Infertility
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Infertility

• Definition- A couples inability to conceive a
  child after trying for one year or more.
• Other couples are able to conceive, but mother
  cannot carry child to full term.
• Infertility affects 10-15 percent of all couples.
  Most causes are physiological.

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Infertility problems are common to both men and
women.

• Male causes
• Low sperm count
• Blocked tubes
• Exposure to radiation, toxic chemicals, smoking,
  and STDs

• Female causes
• Hormonal factors
• Blocked Fallopian tubes
• Endometriosis
• Exposure to radiation or toxic chemicals, smoking
  tobacco or marijuana, and sexually transmitted
  diseases

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Treatment of Infertility

• Medications and hormones give to woman to
  stimulate or improve ovulation
• Surgery to open blocked tubes
• Artificial insemination of the husbands sperm can
  promote conception.
• Assisted reproductive technology can increase the
  rate of conception.

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ART technique

• IVF
• In vitro fertilization- Multiple eggs mature,
  mature eggs removed from ovaries and fertilized
  in the lab with the husbands sperm.
• After cell division has begun, fertilized eggs
  are placed directly into the uterus. More than
  one is is placed to insure success. Extra eggs
  may be frozen for later use

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ART Technique

• Gamete intra- fallopian transfer
• GIFT
• Involves putting unfertilized eggs and sperm
  directly into the fallopian tubes. Conception
  takes place inside the mothers body.

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ART technique

• Zygote intra-fallopian transfer
• ZIFT
• Similar to GIFT, except that conception takes
  place in the laboratory. The fertilized egg, or
  zygote is then placed in the Fallopian tubes
  rather than in the uterus.
• Cell division and multiplication take place in
  the fallopian tubes as the zygote travels to the
  uterus

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ART technique

• Intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection
• ICSI is a procedure in which a single sperm is
  injected directly into an egg. This is used with
  IVF or ZIFT. It makes it possible for a man with
  low sperm count to father a child.

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Surrogate mother

• A woman who is hired by a couple to carry the
  couples child to birth.
• Sperm of mature eggs from donor parents can be
  used, or a fertilized egg can be transplanted
  into a surrogate mother.
• Man legal and ethical questions are raised by
  this process.

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Emotional effects of infertility

• Couples dreams are shattered
• Look for a cause to blame
• Feelings of anger, bitterness and sadness may be
  overwhelming
• Desire to have a child may become more intense.
• Some couples accept childlessness, or adopt