Are There Alternatives To IVF?
As many as 1 in 6 Indian couples will
have difficulties conceiving when they decide to start or extend their family.
Pregnancy delay is still a relatively ‘silent’ topic, especially in India, with
many couples preferring not to openly discuss their difficulties when trying
for a baby. As a result, there is still a lack of knowledge in this area, with
many couples maintaining an unrealistic concern that seeing a fertility
specialist or IVF doctors
will automatically result in them having to go down the IVF route. It should be
reassuring to know that there are many effective alternatives to IVF, if you do
decide to seek help from a fertility
doctor.
Fertility doctors are expert
gynaecologists and obstetricians who specialise in fertility. They assess your
full medical history and unless there is a good reason for moving straight to
IVF, most fertility specialists will recommend a less invasive form of
fertility treatment first. For women that don’t ovulate regularly or at all,
for example those suffering from PCOS, Ovulation Induction can sometimes be
enough to help them fall pregnant and only involves oral medication and an
ultrasound scan.
The next, most common alternative,
which can be effective and for those where regular ovulation is not the issue,
is Intrauterine Insemination (IUI
treatment). This is also commonly referred to as artificial
insemination and involves placing the male partner’s sperm inside the woman’s
uterus. This is a quite affordable procedure, and is performed in a doctor’s
rooms or a fertility clinic, and is
a similar feeling to undergoing a pap smear.
If a medical condition, such as
endometriosis, is thought to be the cause for the pregnancy delay, keyhole
surgery may be discussed as an option to rectify the issue. Many women
successfully achieve a pregnancy post-surgery without further intervention.
Comments
Post a Comment