OVERVIEW OF INFERTILITY
1 in 6 Couples have trouble getting pregnant!
Having a baby can be one of the life’s greatest experiences and joy, this privilege is denied to many couples because of infertility. Roughly 10-15% couples face some fertility problems at some stage of their reproduction carrier. Approximately 13-19 million couples are likely to be infertile in our country at any given time. With increasing awareness among people to have a child from their own egg and sperm, reproductive health is becoming a major health care. Number of patients seeking professional help is sharply expanding. Achievement of pregnancy and development of foetus are extremely complex processes involving hundreds of synchronized and timely occurring events. Any wrong at one or more steps may result in causing delay in achieving pregnancy or infertility. Obviously treatment of infertility is a challenging task. However, current level of diagnoses, understanding and management techniques have made it possible to treat nearly every kind of infertility.
What is Infertility?
Infertility is a disease or condition of reproductive system often diagnosed if a couple has failed to conceive after one year of unprotected, well timed intercourse, or if the woman has been unable to carry a pregnancy that results in a live birth.
Primary Infertility : Infertility without any previous pregnancy.
Secondary Infertility : When there has been a previous pregnancy.
Sterility : When there is no chance for natural pregnancy. This is different from infertility which generally represents a reduced potential for pregnancy. Most childless couples with a female age under 42-44 years that are having problems of getting pregnant are infertile but not sterile.
Probability of Pregnancy Declines with Advancing Age : The affect of age on incidence of infertility and on the result of the therapy cannot be ignored. It is well documented that there is diminished fecundity with increasing age. A woman reaches the maximum fertility potential at the age of 24 years. By the age of 30 her fertility begins to decline. However, the decline is not significant, until the age of 35 and it is more marked after 40 years.
IN VITRO FERTILIZATION -EMBRYO TRANSFER(TEST TUBE BABY)
IVF treatment has assumed a prominent role in the management of infertile couples.
Since the birth of Louise Brown, world’s first ‘Test Tube Baby’ on 26th July 1978, Assisted Reproductive Technology(ART) has become frontier of infertility management. Nearly 20 million babies are already born the world over by various ARTtechniques. The IVF-ET procedure involves the extraction of oocytes, their fertilization in the lab and transfer of embryos at 4 to 8 celled stages into the uterus of the woman.
Indications
Tubal Problem
Blocked fallopian tubes
Absence of tubes due to surgery
Chronically infected tubes
Poor Semen Quality
< 5 million but > one million/mL.
Endometriosis the presence of endometrium (lining of the womb) outside the uterus
Poor responder to ovulation induction drugs.
Failed IUI for 4-5 repeated cycles.
Unexplained infertility.
Sperm antibodies in the wife's and/or husband's serum.