Fertility and Sterility

Human fertility and sterility depends on several factors including nutrition, endocrinology, sexual behavior, culture, quality of life and emotional, physical and mental health. The modern trend is for both men and women to postpone having children, busy as they are in establishing their careers and ensuring financial security and stability in their lives. However, fertility tends to decrease with increasing age in both men and women due to biological, physical and mental and emotional factors adversely impacting the child-bearing process.

In most cases, infertility is treatable. The first step towards increasing the chances of conception would be to bring about changes in lifestyle and nutrition. Drugs and environmental toxicants adversely impact fertility. Regulating the intake of alcohol and caffeine is also essential.

Recent medical research has resulted in several technological breakthroughs in reproductive techniques paving the way for older parents to successfully have healthy babies. Famous older dads of today include the likes of Anthony Quinn, Michael Douglas, David Letterman, Larry King, Woody Allen, Charlie Chaplin and Warren Beatty among others.

There are several methods which older parents can opt for to have healthy babies:

• Reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI)
• Artificial insemination
• In vitro fertilization (IVF or IV)
• Surrogacy
• Egg donation

Fertility or infertility clinics and centers abound where fertility specialists provide treatment for male and female infertility which can be age related or otherwise. Reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) is a part of obstetrics and gynecology that trains doctor’s to treat reproductive and infertility issues. Physicians are trained to study and treat hormonal dysfunctions in females and males and surgeons operate to treat infertility.

Artificial insemination is a popular option for couples facing problems in conceiving. Here infertility specialists inject sperm into the female at the time she is ovulating to help her conceive. In vitro fertilization or IVF is another alternative for an infertile couple. In this process, fertility clinic(s) combine the sperm and the egg outside the uterus and the resulting embryos are then placed in the woman’s uterus.

However, if the female partner cannot carry a child in her uterus there is the option of surrogacy which transcends all international borders. A gestational surrogate agrees to carry a pregnancy in her uterus for the biological parents. This method has offered couples who are unable to carry the opportunity to have their own child.

If a male partner is unable to produce sperm, there are sperm banks from where one can select sperm after reading the profile of the donors. Egg banks have not yet been developed due to the difficulty of freezing and thawing eggs with good survival rates. Ongoing research will allow this to take place in the future. At this point in time, the most reliable method of obtaining eggs is through In Vitro Fertilization with an egg donor.

Before opting for any of these methods it is important that the concerned individuals go in for counseling provided by fertility experts.

For all your fertility related queries and concerns log on to www.ebfertility.com. We will be happy to guide you through the various diagnostic and treatment options available to help you build your family.