Treatment
The treatment options available are numerous and depend on the diagnosis and the type of infertility detected; therefore, there are a considerable number of decisions to be made by the patients and doctor.
When assisted conception is considered the appropriate option, the procedures available are:
Inducing ovulation:
This method is based on the stimulation of the ovaries (using fertility drugs) to produce a small number of ova (maximum of 2 or 3) thus allowing fertilization through normal intercourse. This type of treatment is recommended for women with hormonal disorders and a condition known as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.
Artificial insemination (IUI):
Close to the moment of ovulation, a sample of semen is prepared using the swim-up or gradient separation technique and is deposited at the neck of the uterus or in the upper part of the same using a fine catheter.
It is important that the count for the sperm used is within normal limits and that the Fallopian tubes are healthy.
IUI success rate after stimulation of the ovaries is 10 to 5% per cycle, but can reach up to 50% after various attempts in a year.
Ova donations:
The donation of ova (eggs) is a treatment that can cause ethical controversies and for which advice is always important. Donated ova are a treatment suitable for women who do not produce ova or who suffer from genetic disorders that they can pass on to their children.
Ovum donors require the same pharmacotherapy and monitoring before the removal of the ova as the patients who undergo IVF. All potential donors and volunteers must undergo a careful selection process to detect genetic or viral illnesses.
While the donor is undergoing the ovary stimulation process and the removal of the ova, the recipient has to prepare for pregnancy using hormones. The donor ova are fertilized with a prepared sperm sample from the recipient couple.
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF):
IVF is the technique that produced the original “test-tube babies” and the most frequently used assisted conception process in the world. In simple terms, IVF consists of taking one or more mature ova from the ovaries to be fertilized by sperm that has been selected before-hand (either from the couple or a donor) in the laboratory and transferring a small selection of the resulting embryos to the uterus for implantation and the continuation of pregnancy.
