Hormones to treat infertility

• When can fertility treatment be used?

  When men have a low sperm count and when women find it difficult to conceive.
• What treatment can be used for women?

  In-vitro fertilisation (IVF), this is where fertilisation takes place outside of the body, during IVF, the mother is treated first with FSH and LH causing several eggs to mature which are then collected from the mother, at this point sperm is collected from the father and is used to fertilise the eggs in the laboratory. The fertilised eggs then develop into embryos which are then inserted into the mothers uterus, these embryos can then develop inside the mother in the usual way
• What other treatment can be used for women?

  Giving FSH and LH to a woman, this is called a fertility drug, this causes the woman to ovulate more than usual. This increases her chances of becoming pregnant through sexual intercourse.
• What is the benefit of IVF?

  Gives the woman the chance to have a baby of her own
• What are the four possible problems with IVF?

  Low success rates, emotionally very stressful, physically demanding on the mother e.g. treatment with fertility drugs, can lead to multiple births which is risky for both the babies and the mother.
• What issues are there with IVF?

  Not all of the embryos that are created will be transferred into the mother, meaning many embryos are destroyed and some find that unethical. It is also expensive, and some think this money could be spent on other medical issues such as treatments for cancer.