V. ART (Artificial Reproductive Technology) fertility treatments (and then some)

Family planning and the ability to biologically become pregnant does not always go as planned. There are a variety of fertility issues that may affect natural conception, and as a result, you may need to undergo some type of fertility treatment and/or artificial reproductive technology (ART).

 Fertility treatments can include ovulation stimulation with medications (oral and/or injections) with either timed intercourse or insemination or to be used with ART.  

 ART includes fertility treatments where eggs or embryos are handled outside of the human body. In literal terms, these procedures involve surgically removing eggs from the ovary and then either freezing the egg for use at a later date or combining the egg with sperm (either fresh or frozen) in the lab, creating and embryo, and then placing it into the uterine cavity.

 Here are V. (five) ART procedures that you should know about.

I.           Intra-Uterine Insemination (IUI)

With IUI, sperm are deposited into the cavity of a woman’s uterus using a small catheter. This fertility method can be helpful for women who have scarring of the cervix, men who may have erectile or ejaculatory issues, as well as men with abnormal sperm or semen analyses. This method can also be useful for women who do not have a male partner. IUI can be used in combination with ovarian stimulation and with fresh or frozen sperm. Success depends upon the fertility diagnosis as well as the age of the woman undergoing the procedure.

II.          Ovarian Stimulation 

Drugs can be administered either orally or injected, in a timed fashion, to induce multiple follicles to develop and mature at the same time within the ovaries. Then, either through appropriately timed intercourse, IUI or In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF0, fertility can be enhanced. This can be especially useful foe women who have irregular or prolonged, and therefore, less frequent cycles.

III.         In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

IVF is when the sperm and egg are incubated together in hopes of creating an embryo. The embryo is then placed in the uterus in anticipation for implantation and development, resulting in a healthy pregnancy. 

Here are the V. (five) steps involved in IVF:

i.     Superovulation

Medications are taken to stimulate the ovaries to produce mature eggs. Close monitoring with sonograms and hormonal bloodwork is done to precisely target ovulation

ii.     Egg Retrieval

Once the follicles in the ovaries are mature, the eggs are retrieved with an outpatient surgical procedure.

iii.   Fertilization

The sperm is then incubated with egg or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is performed in anticipation of uniting the egg and the sperm.

iv.   Preimplantation Genetics

This is an optional step that can assess the chromosomes and genetics of the embryo prior to implantation.

v.    Embryo Transfer

Somewhere between days 1-6 of retrieval, transfer occurs, placing the embryo into the uterus. This is an office procedure. If more than one embryo is created in the process, then it can be frozen and stored to be used in the future.

IV.    Third Party ART

When pregnancy is unable to be achieved either spontaneously or with other fertility treatments, then third party ART may be considered. These include:

i.    Sperm Donation

If there is not a male involved in the fertility journey or if the man does not produce sperm, has abnormal sperm or is a genetic carrier of certain conditions then a donor sperm may be used.

ii.   Egg Donation

The donor egg can be combined with the partner’s sperm or a donor sperm. The recipient’s womb is made receptive for implantation by hormonal treatment. This method benefits those who do not produce eggs (age related, premature ovarian failure, previous chemotherapy, or radiation), produce poor quality eggs or have a genetic predisposition to certain medical conditions. 

iii.  Surrogate Carriers

This is an option for women who are not candidates for pregnancy or are unable to carry a pregnancy to term due to other medical issues. Typically, the embryo is biologically related to the surrogate and pregnancy occurs via IUI (see above).

iv.  Gestational Carriers

In this case the embryo is not biologically related to the surrogate. The person who carries the fetus is referred to as the ‘birth’ mother or gestational carrier and must meet certain requirements.

v.  Embryo Donation

In this case, the recipient mother experiences pregnancy and birth. This is usually performed for those with fertility issues especially when IVF has not been successful or when there is a high risk for passing on a heritable genetic disorder. This can happen when are unused or unneeded and can be donated to another person/couple.

V.      Adoption

And, last but certainly not least, the is the option for adoption. This is when a person or persons assume the parenting responsibilities of a child from that child’s biologic or otherwise legal parents. It is a permanent transfer, more than a guardianship, to raise a child. There are many benefits to adoption for both the parent(s) and the child.

 Verbena does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and is not a medical provider. Discuss fertility treatments and options with your personal doctor.

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.