Monday, October 20, 2008

Infertility Awareness Week



1 in 6 American couples are considered infertile. This is a week where it is important to try and promote awareness on the subject and how it affects family, friends, and life in general.
The world has made so many medical advancements in fertility treatments in the past 10 years or so. I'd like to list a couple of the most common medical efforts in which doctors (typically reproductive endocrinologists) do on a daily basis to try and fight infertility.

IVF (In Vitro Fertilization)-IVF is the process of fertilization by manually combining an egg and sperm in a laboratory dish. When the IVF procedure is successful, the process is combined with a procedure known as embryo transfer, which is used to physically place the embryo in the uterus.
~The American Pregnancy Association

IUI (Intrauterine Insemination)-performed by threading a very thin flexible catheter through the cervix and injecting washed sperm directly into the uterus.
~Fertility Plus Website

These may seem like two very simple procedures, but there are so many factors to take into consideration when making them successful. There are many drugs (most injectible) which have to be used in conjunction with the procedures. The female has to be careful of OHSS (ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome). There have to be good quality embryos made when using IVF. The list goes on and on.

Infertile woman have got to be strong and stubborn. Not willing to give up. In my experience through a baby board I frequent on the internet, they are the most strong willed women I've ever encountered in my life. Loss after loss, continuing on and fighting for what they want most....a child in their arms.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I loved your statement "Infertile women have to be strong and stubborn."
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