5.15 - Fertility Treatment

• If a woman cannot conceive naturally, she can be given FSH and LH, which in many cases will restore fertility
• What does IVF stand for?

  In Vitro Fertilisation
• Stages of IVF:

  1. Woman is given FSH and LH to stimulate their eggs to mature
  2. These eggs are collected from the woman’s ovaries. Sperm is also collected from the male
  3. The eggs are fertilised by the sperm in a lab
  4. The fertilised eggs are left to grow into embryos in a laboratory incubator
  5. Once the embryos are large enough, if viable they are transferred to the woman’s uterus, where they will 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 n the laboratory?

  To provide optimum temperature for enzymes and thus cell growth
• Cons of IVF:

  • High chance of multiple births and associated complications
  • Can cause abdominal pain and vomiting
  • It can be stressful and emotionally upsetting
  • Doesn’t always work (1 in 4)
• Why do people think IVF is unethical?

  It could lead to designer babies if parents can select embryos with certain traits.

  Some embryos (which had potential for human life) are destroyed.