Fertility Treatment: The field of medicine concerned with treating women, men or couples who experience difficulties in conceiving babies. Infertility is the inability to conceive via normal sexual activity. It should not be confused with sterility. Sterility is the total failure to produce a child.

Typically, women and men take it as a given that they will be able to conceive when they are ready to start their Family Planning. This generally holds true for the majority of people; however, some couples are unable to conceive naturally. Their repeated efforts prove fruitless, and the attempts to start families become prolonged series of disappointments and emotional ups and downs. Medically, when a couple have attempted to conceive by regular sexual intercourse - without the use of any form of birth control - for at least one year, infertility is diagnosed. Infertility could be due to physical, medical or psychological conditions.

With normal fertility, sufficient numbers of healthy sperm from the man are delivered into the woman’s vagina. The sperm then travel through her uterus and into the fallopian tubes where at least one of the sperm is needed to penetrate one female egg. Once successfully penetrated, the fertilised egg becomes implanted within the lining of the woman’s uterus. If a problem arises at any stage of this process, infertility will be the result. A specialist at a Fertility Clinic is best placed to diagnose and treat underlying conditions that prevent successful delivery and fertilisation.

Conditions that lead to infertility include blockages in the reproductive pathways, hormonal imbalances that interfere with ovulation, low sperm count or sluggishness in sperm movement and infections. The variety of causes means that treatment for infertility is not a one-size-fits-all process.

Fertility Treatment is generally undertaken at a Fertility Clinic. The clinic is staffed by qualified and experienced medical personnel who carry out myriad tests to diagnose the problem on a case-by-case basis. The clinical team typically includes embryologists, nurses and reproductive endocrinologists. Nutritional clinicians may also be available to give dietary advice.

Clinicians can also assist with a couple’s Family Planning, whether they want just one child or a number of children. If more than one child is planned, the specialist can advise on the proper way to proceed after the birth of the first offspring.

Options for Fertility Treatment include:

• Counselling

If the problem is psychological, the specialist will offer advice on sexual techniques that may increase the chances of conception.

• Drug Therapy

When the problem is hormonal, fertility drugs are used to regulate ovulation in the female patient. A different type of hormone therapy is used to treat sperm issues in males.

• Surgery

This is performed on the partner who has a physical obstruction or abnormality.

• In vitro fertilisation

The woman’s eggs are removed and fertilised in the laboratory. They are then replaced inside her body to allow normal gestation to occur.

• Artificial insemination

Donated semen is injected directly into a woman’s uterus when she is ovulating.

Prospective parents who have difficulties conceiving will find that a Fertility Clinic is highly sensitive to their needs, and that Fertility Treatments have hugely successful outcomes. Couples and individuals should not hesitate to schedule consultations with clinics. By seeking and undergoing appropriate treatments, they can make their Family Planning dreams become a reality.