5.3.6 The Use of Hormones to Treat Infertility

• What is a fertility drug?

  A drug containing FSH and LH which allows a woman to become pregnant naturally.
• IVF:

  • IVF involves giving a mother FSH and LH to stimulate the maturation of several eggs.
  • The eggs are collected from the mother and fertilised by sperm from the father in the laboratory.
  • The fertilised eggs develop into embryos.
  • At the stage when they are tiny balls of cells, one or two embryos are inserted into the mother’s uterus (womb).
• Disadvantages of fertility treatment:

  • It is very emotionally and physically stressful.
  • The success rate is not high.
  • It can lead to multiple births which are a risk to both the babies and the mother.
• What does IVF stand for?

  In Vitro Fertilisation.
• Sometimes, fertilising an egg with sperm may require "Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)". 

  What is this?

  Sperm being injected into an egg cell with a tiny needle.
• Why are embryos kept in an incubator whilst in the laboratory? 

  To provide the optimum temperature for enzymes and thus cell growth.
• Why do some people think IVF is unethical?

  Some embryos (which had the potential for human life) are destroyed and it could lead to 'designer babies' if parents can select embryos with certain traits.
• During IVF, where are the egg and sperm mixed?

  In a laboratory.