Infertility

What is Infertility?

Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system that impairs one of the body's most basic functions: the conception of children. Conception is a complicated process that depends upon many factors: on the production of healthy sperm by the man and healthy eggs by the woman; unblocked fallopian tubes that allow the sperm to reach the egg; the sperm's ability to fertilize the egg when they meet; the ability of the fertilized egg (embryo) to become implanted in the woman's uterus; and sufficient embryo quality.

Finally, for the pregnancy to continue to full term, the embryo must be healthy and the woman's hormonal environment adequate for its development. When just one of these factors is impaired, infertility can result.

What Causes Infertility?

The most common male infertility factors include either no or less sperm cells being produced. Sometimes, sperm cells are malformed or they die before they can reach the egg. The most common female infertility factor is an ovulation disorder. Other causes of female infertility include blocked fallopian tubes, birth defects involving the structure of the uterus and uterine fibroids are associated with repeated miscarriages.

What is In Vitro Fertilization or test tube baby?

In IVF, eggs are surgically removed from the ovary and mixed with sperm outside the body in a Petri dish. After about 40 hours, the eggs are examined to see if they have become fertilized by the sperm and are dividing into cells. These fertilized eggs (embryos) are then placed in the women's uterus, thus bypassing the fallopian tubes.

Source: Portal Content Team