INFERTILITY
Infertility primarily
refers to the biological inability of a man or a woman to contribute to conception.
Infertility may also refer to the state of a woman who is unable to carry
a pregnancy to full term. There are many biological causes of infertility,
some of which may be bypassed with medical intervention. Women who are fertile
experience a natural period of fertility before and during ovulation, and
they are naturally infertile during the rest of the menstrual cycle. Fertility
awareness methods are used to discern when these changes occur; by tracking
changes in cervical mucus or basal body temperature.In about 15% of cases
the infertility investigation will show no abnormalities. In these cases abnormalities
are likely to be present but not detected by current methods. Possible problems
could be that the egg is not released at the optimum time for fertilization,
that it may not enter the fallopian tube, sperm may not be able to reach the
egg, fertilization may fail to occur, transport of the zygote may be disturbed,
or implantation fails. It is increasingly recognized that egg quality is of
critical importance and women of advanced maternal age have eggs of reduced
capacity for normal and successful fertilization.
Social & Psychological Impact
Infertility may have profound psychological effects. Partners may become more
anxious to conceive, ironically increasing sexual dysfunction. Marital discord
often develops in infertile couples, especially when they are under pressure
to make medical decisions. Women trying to conceive often have clinical depression
rates similar to women who have heart disease or cancer. Even couples undertaking
IVF face considerable stress, especially the female partner.In many cultures,
inability to conceive bears a stigma. In closed social groups, a degree of
rejection (or a sense of being rejected by the couple) may cause considerable
anxiety and disappointment. Some respond by actively avoiding the issue altogether;
middle-class men are the most likely to respond in this way.There are legal
ramifications as well. Infertility has begun to gain more exposure to legal
domains. An estimated 4 million workers in the U.S. used the Family and Medical
Leave Act (FMLA) in 2004 to care for a child, parent or spouse, or because
of their own personal illness. Many treatments for infertility, including
diagnostic tests, surgery and therapy for depression, can qualify one for
FMLA leave.
Treatment
Treatment of infertility usually starts with medication. In vitro fertilization
(IVF) in addition to various forms and developments of it (ICSI, ZIFT, GIFT)
is another solution. They all include that the fertilization takes place outside
the body. On the other hand, an insemination can make a fertilization inside
the body. Other techniques are e.g. tuboplasty, assisted hatching and PGD.
(1)
source
(1) wikipedia