NEWS & KNOWLEDGE

Infertility is an Increasing Medical Problem

Infertility is a continuously increasing medical problem. Nowadays, many couples are getting married at a later age, which leads to delays in family planning.

As a result, the increasing age at marriage makes it more difficult for couples to conceive, since fertility naturally declines with age, especially in women.

At present, assisted reproductive technology is developing rapidly, causing the success rate of infertility treatment to increase. The treatment starts with finding the cause and treating it accordingly. However, there are some cases where, despite treating the cause, some couples are still unable to have children. Therefore, assisted reproductive technology must be used to help. Currently, there are 2 main methods:

1. IUI: Intrauterine Insemination

Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a fertility treatment in which sperm are collected, processed, and selected for good quality, then directly injected into the uterus on the day of ovulation.

This method is suitable for:

• Women who do not have significant reproductive problems, and

• Men with mild to moderate abnormalities in semen quality.

IUI helps increase the chance of fertilization by bringing sperm closer to the egg at the optimal time.

2. IVF : In vitro fertilization

It is the process of stimulating the eggs to bring them out and fertilize them with sperm to create embryos in the laboratory. Then the embryos are cultured for another 3-5 days, also known as raising the embryos to grow until the blastocyst stage. and select good grade embryos to implant back into the uterine cavity to cause pregnancy

At present, it is popular to do the ICSI (Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection) process, which is an extension of the IVF process. Using a small needle to load normal sperm. Then, a needle containing sperm is inserted into the egg cell. It helps to fertilize eggs and sperm in cases where men have poor semen quality. Or in the case that women have problems with eggs that are of poor quality, such as eggs with thick and hard shells, etc.

To receive accurate and effective treatment, a thorough assessment of physical readiness and overall health is required.

The doctor will evaluate each couple’s specific condition and underlying problems, then design an appropriate treatment plan and plan further management accordingly.

By Assoc.Prof. Matchuporn Sukprasert