Struggling with Natural Conception: Fertility Treatment Options

*This is a guest post

Sadly, many couples struggle to conceive and contrary to what people think, it’s not only women who face fertility problems. According to research, a third of cases are due to female infertility, another third are linked to male infertility and the remaining cases are due to a combination of factors from both partners. 

Once you have come to terms with the fact that you’re struggling to get pregnant, you may wish to welcome assisted conception into your life. Take a look at the fertility treatment options available.

IVF 

This fertility treatment can be helpful for a range of fertility problems, including more severe sperm problems and cases of unexplained infertility. It is a technique that is particularly popular amongst women who have damaged fallopian tubes; however it is also used in cases where a woman has endometriosis too.

The fertility treatment consists of a sequence of procedures known as the 'treatment cycle'. First, hormone therapy is used to stimulate the development of several follicles in the ovary. These are collected as eggs, which are then fertilised in a test-tube to create several embryos.

After two to three days in an incubator, the embryos are carefully checked using a well-established grading system. The best one or two are transferred through the vagina to the uterus, where hopefully implantation will occur in order for pregnancy to begin. IVF can be a costly treatment so you may have to do your research in order to find affordable IVF for you.

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) 

IUI is a technique that involves the insemination of either your partner’s sperm or a donor sperm, directly into the uterus at the time of ovulation. If your partner's sperm is being used, then the use of a prepared sperm sample can increase the chances of conception. Why? A prepared sperm sample is beneficial if he has a low sperm count or poor sperm movement, or there is a problem with the interaction between the sperm and cervical mucus. If you’re single or your partner produces no sperm then a donor sperm will be used for IUI.

Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) 

Intracytoplasmic Sperm injection, otherwise known as ICSI, is an effective procedure that has transformed the treatment of men with poor sperm quality or a low sperm count. Therefore, if male infertility is the problem then this technique is the route you and your partner need to go down. 

ICSI is a technique used in conjunction with IVF in which a single sperm cell is injected into the centre of an egg to achieve fertilisation. With ICSI, just one sperm cell can be enough to fertilise an egg, whereas with spontaneous conception, at least one hundred million sperm cells are typically produced in each ejaculation. 

Who is entitled to this fertility treatment? Men with a sperm count of 10-20. However, if the sperm count is lower than this, there is still a chance of biologically becoming a parent as there are techniques available to extract the viable sperm.  

Whether your infertility problems stem from the male or the female, there are fertility treatments out there that are able to treat both. Do you wish to find out more about the treatment options available to you? The London Women’s Clinic is a leading UK fertility clinic that offers a range of   treatments. Call 020 7563 4309 today to speak to an expert within this field.

 

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