The Emerging Trends In Managing Infertility Medically

By Barbara Patridge


The inability to reproduce offspring or condition of a lady being unable to complete full term carrying a baby is called infertility. There are many causes and effects of this condition, some of which are medically induced. There has been a general rise in this shortcoming since 1980.

Primary sterility refers to a condition in which a couple has never been able to conceive a child while the secondary type relates to a couple that suffers the condition subsequently after the first conception. This is determined using only one pair at a time.

With time, several trends have emerged in cases of barrenness cutting across all countries in the world. First, it is estimated that about five percent of couples, especially women, have this problem unresolved. In many countries, one out of every seven couples is a victim of this tragedy. Generally, women become increasingly infertile as they age. Some cases show that the inadequacy may either come from men or women. However, the cause may not be established as regards the source of the issue between both.

Several factors may cause barrenness in either sex, for instance, damage of the DNA, genetic factors such as Robertsonian translocation in one of the partners, general factors like diabetes mellitus and thyroid disorders, hypothalamic-pituitary factors like hypopituitarism and environmental factors which include toxins, chemical dusts and tobacco smoking.

In males, if their semen quality is low, they have a low sperm count, if they suffer from testicular malformations, hormone imbalance or experience blockage of the duct system, they may end up suffering from sterility. In females, blockage of fallopian tubes, being underweight and overweight, experiencing inability to ovulate, uterine complications and infections such as Chlamydia and development of scar tissue may lead to the problem.

Treatment of barrenness depends on what has caused it. This may take the form of counseling or fertility treatments. A duo may decide on using at-home conception kits or even assisted natural conception. Medically, fertility medication such as medical surgery, use of medical devices, in vitro fertilization or other technologically assisted techniques of reproduction may be used. Several other medical techniques such as tuboplasty and assisted hatching may also be applied.

Sterility and its treatment has several ethical issues. These include expensive treatments, such treatments not being covered by insurance companies, allocation of clinical resources that would have alternative uses, opposition to destruction of embryos, remedial methods used resulting into increase in multiple and premature births, opposition by religious groups and transmission of complications to offspring.

Bareness has both social and personal implications. To an individual, effects range from anxiety in marriage, discord among couples, depression, loathe for motherhood, loss of imagined life, pressure of underachievement, stress and detaching from religious doctrines. Socially, there is development of stigma, avoiding the issue, rejection, inheritance difficulties and loss friends.

In developing countries, inability to reproduce has grave implications on the individual or couple since child production is used as a social pillar and a basis for family income generation. One is likely to suffer stigmatization and abandonment by spouse and family. In most cases, it is assumed that the woman is the cause of the problem.




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