Infertility Surgery Procedures
Treating infertility with surgery is something that has been around for years, it has helped many women to become pregnant and to start their families. There has always been negativity surrounding the issue, the expense being the main focus, and the fact that it is not a guaranteed service, the other. The truth is about two thirds of the couple that undergo some form of fertility treatment will get the results they wanted, the baby, their family, and the chance to live their lives as they always dreamed.
The Benefits
What some may not realize, is that infertility screening and testing can detect health defects that may have went unnoticed for years, causing more health problems because treatment was delayed.
Men are usually the first ones tested and after being diagnosed and other treatments have been exhausted, there are simple surgical procedures that can be done to boost the sperm count to where it needs to be to conceive. With women there may be other issues causing the difficulty for them to become pregnant, a simple laparoscopy will expose the problems such as endometriosis, tumors, or any abnormalities with the fallopian tubes or uterus, that other tests will not show. After this procedure, any of the defects that have been found can easily be corrected with a simple surgery.
Assisted Reproductive technology
Assisted Reproductive technology is a term used to describe a variety of methods that are used to help infertile couples obtain a pregnancy.
Different methods are used, depending on the couple’s situation and their choices. Some of the options available to them are:
In vitro fertilization (IVF) means fertilization outside of the body. IVF is the most effective method. It is often used when a woman's fallopian tubes are blocked or when a man produces too few sperm. Doctors treat the woman with a drug that causes the ovaries to produce multiple eggs. Once mature, the eggs are removed from the woman. They are put in a dish in the lab along with the man's sperm for fertilization. After 3 to 5 days, healthy embryos are implanted in the woman's uterus.
Zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT) or Tubal Embryo Transfer is similar to IVF. Fertilization occurs in the laboratory. Then the very young embryo is transferred to the fallopian tube instead of the uterus.
Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) involves transferring eggs and sperm into the woman's fallopian tube. So fertilization occurs in the woman's body. Few practices offer GIFT as an option.
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is often used for couples in which there are serious problems with the sperm. Sometimes it is also used for older couples or for those with failed IVF attempts. In ICSI, a single sperm is injected into a mature egg. Then the embryo is transferred to the uterus or fallopian tube.
These procedures will sometimes involve the use of donor eggs (eggs from another woman), donor sperm, or previously frozen embryos. Donor eggs are sometimes used for women who can not produce eggs. Also, donor eggs or donor sperm is sometimes used when the woman or man has a genetic disease that can be passed on to the baby.
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