Treatment Series: Fertility Drug Therapy

Infertility can be a devastating experience for individuals, couples, and families. When going through this type of emotional event, you should not have to worry or have fear about fertility treatments. You want to focus on your success at becoming pregnant.

It’s important to be aware that diagnosis and treatment technologies are advancing rapidly and that with the right combination of highly personalized care, targeted technology, and the right emotional support, the prospects of a successful outcome – that’s to say a healthy pregnancy and birth – are now better than ever.

What Causes Infertility?

Sadly, it remains something of a taboo subject. But infertility is by no means uncommon.

In fact, it’s estimated that around 10-15% of American couples are infertile. This is generally defined as no pregnancy arising despite them having regular, unprotected sex for a year or more.

There are certain well-understood primary causes of infertility such as low sperm counts and blocked fallopian tubes.

However, there are many other possible factors that may be involved. These include direct physical damage to the reproductive organs of either party, conditions such as diabetes or cystic fibrosis, and the after-effects of a sexually transmitted disease (STD).

Male fertility may also be affected by issues with the prostate gland or testicular cancer. Additionally, women may suffer from a condition known as endometriosis. This is when a kind of tissue that lines the uterus begins to develop outside of it.

The Different Approaches to Treatment

In the past, it was thought that a third of infertility cases were caused by an issue with the man, a third by an issue with the woman, and a third by a combination of factors.

However, this is an old-fashioned and unhelpful approach. And no reputable and trusted fertility clinic today will approach a case in this way. This type of view can result in unhelpful and unhealthy feelings of guilt and blame.

With so many possible causes that may be in play, it’s far more important to identify the precise issue or issues that may be affecting a couple with proper testing.

Only then can an effective treatment plan be designed.

The Choice of Treatments

Depending on the precise cause identified, treatments offered at the Viera fertility clinic in Melbourne, Fl may include:

• Medication to improve the count and quality of sperm
• Artificial sperm retrieval
• The use of fertility drugs to stimulate ovulation
• Intrauterine insemination
• Surgical interventions to repair uterine problems including endometriosis, polyps, and fibroids.

Assistance may also be offered with lifestyle issues such as the misuse of drugs or alcohol, or obesity. These choices may also affect fertility.

Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)

The broad heading of ART, in which fertilization occurs outside the body, includes a number of techniques that may be used if the above treatments are unsuccessful.

By far the most commonly used and best known is in vitro fertilization (IVF). This procedure involves the direct injection of the woman’s eggs with sperm in a laboratory dish and the injection of the resulting embryos into the uterus.

The technology is not new. The first so-called “test-tube baby” was born in England way back in 1977. However, successful outcomes are still far from guaranteed.

After a number of unsuccessful IVF cycles, couples may therefore be offered alternatives. Options such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), and assisted hatching (in which the outer covering of the embryo is removed before the embryo is injected directly into the uterus lining).

Not strictly speaking as a fertility treatment, some couples may also wish to consider the use of donor eggs or sperm or even surrogacy.

Expert Emotional and Psychological Support

Of all the treatment options, IVF is perhaps at the top of the list of being the most emotionally stressful. This is because couples frequently have a sense of being in the “last chance saloon”, and their anxiety naturally increases with each failed cycle.

That said, all infertility issues can be a source of great distress that may go to the very heart of an individual’s self-image and sense of self-worth, and place enormous strain on a couple’s relationship.

That’s why empathy, individual attention, and the provision of appropriate psychological counseling are key elements of our approach to treatment at Viera Fertility.

And to be clear, not only is this far more humane, it’s far more effective too.

Contact Viera Fertility

At Viera Fertility in Melbourne, our dedicated team is ready and waiting to work tirelessly with you and your partner. We provide a one-on-one, personalized experience to do everything we can to help you obtain a healthy pregnancy.

So if you’re at all concerned about any aspect of your fertility, or wondering what treatment might be right for you, then why not call us today on 321.751.4673 or visit us here to arrange a no-obligation consultation.