|
Once the cause of infertility is determined, doctors devise a strategy
for the couple to increase their fertility. The optimum treatment is one that
enables existing natural reproductive processes to take place. Sometimes only
small adjustments in the frequency and timing of sexual intercourse are required
to bring about fertilization. Patients are instructed in how to identify the
woman’s most fertile times in order to plan intercourse accordingly. Practices
that temporarily result in lowered sperm counts or damaged sperm can be
curtailed, such as the use of certain medications, alcohol, marijuana, and hot
tubs or saunas. If the problem is insufficient sperm, a semen sample can be
concentrated—that is, the number of sperm per milliliter can be boosted using
laboratory techniques to increase potency.
Ovulation problems can
be treated with hormones and fertility drugs to produce multiple mature eggs.
Fertility drugs, such as clomiphene and human menopausal gonadotropin (HMG),
induce ovulation in women whose sex hormones—estrogen, follicle stimulating
hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH)—do not function properly. HMG may
also be given to men to stimulate sperm production. Another fertility drug, a
pure, injectable form of FSH, is also given to women to stimulate ovulation.
In addition to
conventional methods of fertility treatment, there are also several newer
techniques, collectively known as assisted reproductive technologies
(ARTS).
See
Assisted Reproductive Technologies
(ARTS)
|
