Infertility & IVF

Infertility

Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive a pregnancy after 12 months of unprotected sexual intercourse. Infertility currently affects approximately 1 in 6 Australian couples of reproductive age.

There are many factors involved in infertility and may involve male, female or a combination of factors.

Causes of female infertility may include:

• A woman’s age

• Structural abnormalities

• Ovulation disorders

• Endometriosis

• Fibroids

• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

• Pelvic inflammatory disease

Causes of male infertility may include:

• Dietary & lifestyle factors such as smoking, recreational drug use and alcohol intake

• Environmental factors

• Chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment

Testing for infertility may involve:

• Female - blood tests, ultrasounds

• Male - blood tests, semen analysis

Options to address infertility:

• Ovulation cycle tracking - to help confirm ovulation and identify your fertile window

• Ovulation induction - the use of medication to encourage ovulation

• Artificial insemination & intrauterine insemination (IUI) - involves inserting the male partner’s (or donor) sperm into the uterus at time of ovulation

• In vitro fertilization (IVF) - a procedure during which an egg and sperm are joined together outside of the body in a laboratory. The fertilised egg (embryo) is then transferred into the uterus, increasing the chance of a pregnancy occurring

• Fertility surgery - such as laparoscopy, tubal surgery or microsurgery to further investigate the cause of infertility, or address any underlying drivers that may be present

IVF

Below is a brief overview of the IVF process:

• Egg stimulation - through daily injections of FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) to over-stimulate the ovaries in order to develop eggs

• Once it appears as though there are enough follicles to proceed with a retrieval, HcG is then injected to induce ovulation and release the eggs

• Egg retrieval surgery - a day surgery performed under general anaesthetic to collect the viable eggs

• Eggs are then taken to a lab where they are fertilised with the chosen sperm (partner or donated)

• Once the embryo begins to develop, it is then inserted into the uterus via the vagina in a process known as insemination

• A pregnancy test will then be undertaken to ascertain if the process was successful