World Infertility Awareness Month: Treatment options for those trying to conceive
“There is always hope. If you are struggling to conceive, start by making lifestyle changes. If that fails, seek help from a fertility specialist,” said Dr Hansen.
WITH 34 years’ experience in gynaecology and fertility, and thousands of success stories later, Dr Jonathan Hansen has made numerous couples’ dreams come true by helping them have their own child.
Last week, and in support of World Infertility Awareness Month this June, the gynaecologist and fertility specialist spoke about the most common causes of infertility in women and men. This week, he touches on some of the options available to couples who are having difficulty in conceiving naturally.
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“Treatment is always conducted in a stepwise manner. We first start with a lifestyle change, and if that fails, we move on to fertility drugs. There are two types of drugs that are used to enhance and improve a couple’s chances of falling pregnant. We monitor the patient’s progress and discuss at each visit,” said Dr Hansen.
There are cases where these drugs do not work. The next option would be to prescribe injectable drugs. These have to be administered on a daily basis. The eggs are ripened, and once again, Dr Hansen monitors the patient’s progress very closely.
If there is a problem with a male, be it a low sperm count or weak sperm, a process called intrauterine insemination (IUI) is done. This is a type of artificial insemination.
“The sperm is washed and concentrated and then inserted into the uterine cavity by means of a catheter,” he said.
“Failing that, we move on to assisted reproduction technology for which there are two groups, namely, invitro fertilisation (IVF) and intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The indications for these methods would be tubal disease. If a woman has tubal disease and surgery can’t repair the tubes, we move straight to these two methods,” said Dr Hansen.
IVF works by using a combination of medicines and surgical procedures to help sperm fertilise an egg and help the fertilised egg implant in the uterus.
In the ICSI process, a tiny needle, called a micropipette, is used to inject a single sperm into the centre of the egg.
“There is always hope. If you are struggling to conceive, start by making lifestyle changes. If that fails, seek help from a fertility specialist,” said Dr Hansen.
For more information, visit www.natalfertility.com
