Concraception

• Controlling fertility - Contraception

  Fertility can be controlled by a variety of hormonal and non-hormonal methods of contraception
• The pill:

  • Oral contraceptives that contain hormones [oestrogen] to inhibit FSH production so that no eggs mature
• Injection, implant or skin patch:

  • Slow release of progesterone to inhibit the maturing and release of eggs for and number of months or years
• Spermicidal agents:

  • Kill disable sperm
• Barrier methods [e.g. condoms and diaphrams]

  • Prevent sperm from reaching an egg
• Intrauterine devices:

  • Prevent the implantation of an embryo or release of a hormone
• Abstaining:

  • Not having sexual intercourse when an egg may be in the oviduct
• Sterilisation or vasectomy:

  • Surgical methods of make and female sterilisation
• Some women find it difficult to get pregnant so they need to undergo fertility treatment.

  If a woman has naturally low levels of FSH and LH she can be given a 'fertility drug' containing these hormones.

  These can be in tablet form or injection form.

  If she still cannot get pregnant after using the fertility drugs then IVF treatment may work.
• 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]
• Although fertility treatment gives a woman the chance to have a baby of her own:

  It is very emotionally and physically stressful; the success rates are not very high.

  It increases the risk of complications in pregnancy and childbirth and may lead to premature or underweight babies.

  It can lead to multiple births which are a risk to both the babies and the mother.