Being infertile when wanting to have a child often results in sadness and frustration. Fortunately for couples, both men and women can be medically treated for infertility in Ocoee FL. However, these treatments take some time and can be expensive. Read up more on how certain medical procedures assist with fertility.
Surgery
For women, surgery can fix blocked or damaged fallopian tubes, so the eggs can properly travel from the ovaries to the uterus. Surgery can help treat endometriosis, a disorder where the tissue that would usually line the uterus instead grows outside the uterus. Abnormal tissue growth or non-cancerous growths in the uterus may need surgery too. There is less of a need for surgery in men, but sometimes there may be issues with the scrotum that could call for a surgical procedure.
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)
This treatment involves placing healthy sperm in the uterus at the time of ovulation. The sperm can either come from a donor or the partner himself. If ovulation induction, which involves drugs, are used in conjunction with IUI, there is a chance for multiple pregnancies. Insemination might need to be postponed if too many eggs start developing.
Hormones / Drugs
Sometimes hormone issues can affect ovulation. Luckily treatment for hormones may increase the possibility for pregnancy. Along with supplements for hormones, some drugs can help promote fertility.
Ovulation induction involves using drugs, so your ovaries can release an egg, and this may be used alongside additional treatments for infertility. These drugs are mainly oral and must be monitored, especially by tracking your menstrual cycle and an at-home urine test. If these drugs don’t work, your doctor may recommend gonadotropins.
Gonadotropins have the same purpose as ovulation induction but can also be used in the case that multiple eggs are necessary for the treatment. These are not oral drugs; you are given several shots during your menstrual cycle. Your doctor will track the sacs necessary for egg development inside the ovary (also called follicles), and once they reach an optimal size, another drug will help with the release.
Like with any drug treatment, ovulation induction and gonadotropins come with risks. The specific drugs you may increase the chance of twins, and a doctor might need to help lower the chance of multiple fetuses. Your ovaries might become swollen and painful which can lead to ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, and ectopic pregnancy becomes more likely with the use of gonadotropins. Talk to your doctor about if this is the treatment for you.
Assisted Reproductive Technology / In Vitro Fertilization
Often assisted reproductive technology refers to in vitro fertilization (IVF), where sperm and egg combine in a laboratory. The embryo is then transferred to the uterus. This procedure can be done for the majority of problems that prevent fertility, but it takes the most time.
IVF is completed in cycles. First, an egg must be obtained, usually with gonadotropins or from a donor, and then they must be removed once mature. A single sperm can be injected or added, and once fertilized, the embryo transfer starts.
