controlling fertility

• hormonal methods of contraception

  • injections containing progesterone
  • contraceptive patch containing progesterone and oestrogen
  • implant produces progesterone
• non hormonal methods

  • condoms
  • diaphragm
  • spermicide
• ways to avoid pregnancy

  • sterilisation (tying sperm ducts)
  • natural methods - avoid fertile days (not very effective)
  • abstinence
• cons of using hormones to increase fertility

  • doesnt always work - may have to do it too many times which is very expensive
  • too many eggs could be stimulated ending up in unwanted pregnancies
• what is IVF?


  ivf involes collecting eggs from the woman’s ovaries and fertilising them in a lab using the mans sperm
• ivf benefit 


  fertility treatment can give an infertile couple a child
• ivf negative

  • success rate is low - can be stressful and upsetting if results in loads of failures
  • can be physically stressful for some woman who have strong reactions to hormones
  • multiple births can happen
• why are some people against ivf?

  • it results in unused embryos that are eventually destroyed - some think its unethical as it’s destroyed potential human life
  • the genetic testing of embryos can raised ethical issues as some people think it could lead to the selection of proffered characteristics