Fertility Treatment

• What does follicle stimulating hormone do? 

  Stimulate an egg to mature 
• What does luteinising hormone do? 

  Stimulate an egg to be released (ovulation)
• If a woman cannot conceive naturally, she can be given follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinising hormone (LH), which in many cases will restore fertility.
• IVF stands for:

  "In Vitro Fertilisation"
• The stages of in vitro fertilisation

  • First, a woman is given FSH and LH to stimulate their eggs to mature.
  • These eggs can then be collected from the woman's ovaries. Sperm is also collected from the male.
  • The eggs are then fertilised by the sperm.
  • These fertilised eggs are then left to grow into embryos in a laboratory incubator.
  • Once the embryos are large enough, they are transferred to the women's uterus, so that they can develop into a foetus.
• Sometimes, fertilising an egg with sperm may require "Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)". 

  What is this?

  Sperm is 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
• What are the cons of IVF?

  • Can cause abdominal pain and vomiting 
  • High chance of multiple births and associated complications
  • It doesn't always work
  • It can be stressful and emotionally upsetting 
• Why do some people think IVF is unethical?

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

  In a laboratory 
• What do we call the release of an egg from the ovary?

  Ovulation