Hormones to Treat Infertility

• Hormones


  Used to treat infertility
• IVF (In Vitro Fertilization)

  1. Mother treated with FSH and LH to cause several eggs to mature

  2. Eggs collected from mother

  3. Sperm from father used to fertilize eggs in laboratory

  4. Fertilized eggs develop into embryos

  5. Embryos inserted into mother's uterus
• Benefits of IVF


  • Gives a woman the chance to have a baby of her own
• Problems with IVF


  • Success rates are not high
  • Emotionally very stressful for both parents
  • Physically demanding on the mother
  • Can lead to multiple births which is risky
• Other issues with IVF

  • Not all embryos created are transferred, many are destroyed
  • IVF is expensive and this money could be spent on other medical issues
• FSH triggers an egg to mature in one of the ovaries
• LH triggers the mature egg to be released, i.e. ovulation
• Fertility treatment involves giving a woman a combination of FSH and LH, called a fertility drug, to cause her to ovulate more than usual
• This increases the woman's chances of becoming pregnant through sexual intercourse