Planning a family is critical for a couple. However, these days infertility is on the rise due to our lifestyle. Also, couples have career goals and they want to plan a baby in their late thirties and forties. In such a scenario, it becomes important for them to approach fertility clinics to fulfill their desire of having a baby. With the help of today’s advanced technology, couples are attaining parenthood and fulfilling their dreams.
When a couple is unsuccessful in efforts to conceive over the course of one year is known as infertility. It can be female infertility or male infertility.
The most common causes of female infertility are issues with ovulation, cervix problem, damage to fallopian tube or uterus. Increase in age causes infertility because with advancing age it becomes difficult for the couple to conceive.
If the man is over 35, their partner has a higher risk of failing to get pregnant and miscarrying, regardless of her age.
By the time men are 45, the odds of their partner miscarrying doubles. The gradual fall in the quality of the sperm makes conception difficult.
- Diagnosis of infertility
Infertility can be diagnosed by several methods like urine or blood test, pelvic and breast examination, laparoscopic examination of internal organs. Examination of uterine abnormalities using hysteroscopy. Abdominal and vaginal scanning of uterus and ovaries using ultrasound machine.
- Treatment of infertility
- Hormonal treatment is given to treat the cases of hormonal imbalance, menstrual irregularities and en
- Medication can be given to stimulate ovulation.
- Antibiotic treatment can be taken for any infection.
- Blockage or scar tissue from fallopian tube and uterus can be removed after minor surgical procedure.
- Intra-uterine insemination (IUI) is a procedure for placing rinsed semen in a uterus during ovulation period.
- In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) – in this technique, doctor places embryos or fertilized eggs in a uterus (using an intrauterine insemination (IUI) catheter) that were fertilized in a dish in IVF lab.
- Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is a technique where sperm is injected directly into the egg, which is then placed in uterus.
- Role of medical equipment in the success of IVF treatment
Apart from the skills of the Fertility specialist and embryologist, success of IVF treatment depends a lot on the quality of the environment in the lab and IVF equipment being used. For e.g. Laminar airflow – create appropriate sterile environment, high-end microscopes of different types are essential for various purposes.– e.g. Upright microscopes are used for semen analysis and sperm preparation, stereo zoom microscopes are used for first sorting, inverted microscopes are used to assess morphology, ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection) system and IMSI require high resolution and high contrast microscopy. Centrifuges are required for semen recovery. Sperm counting chamber is a device for accurate count of sperm. It also helps in evaluation of their motility and morphology from undiluted specimen. Cryopreservation equipment are essential for preserving human sperm, eggs and embryos under right conditions in the laboratory. Many other equipment assist in good IVF treatment. For more details of IVF equipment and their use, please read the following blog
- Prevention
To decrease the chances of infertility several measures can be taken
- Adopt a healthy lifestyle.
- Maintain personal hygiene.
- Getting annual health checkups.
- Avoid consumption of alcohol and drugs.
