.5 The use of hormones to treat infertility

• This includes giving FSH and LH in a 'fertility drug' to a woman. She may then become pregnant in the normal way
• in Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment

  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 high

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