Fertility

Fertility – Fertility Treatment for Women and Men (IVF)

The meaning of the word fertility is the ability of a person to bring children into the world. For most people, this ability exists, and they experience no difficulty becoming pregnant, but there are those – up to 20% of the population – who have difficulty. They are defined as suffering from some type of fertility problem. There is a distinction between fertility problems in women and fertility problems in men. The gynecologist treats fertility problems in women and also some of the fertility problems from which men suffer.

Female Fertility

From the beginning of her teens until around the age of 50 (menopause), the woman has a period every month – the menstrual cycle. This is in fact a series of changes that the body goes through, due to the action of various hormones, with one objective: to enable the woman to become pregnant. This time span, during which the woman has a regular period, are the childbearing years.

During the menstrual cycle, there are days of ovulation. These are days in which the woman’s body is more ready to receive the man’s sperm and commence the process that brings about pregnancy. There are cases in which, despite many attempts, the woman does not succeed to become pregnant – defined as fertility problems.

In these cases, the woman will undergo a series of tests in order to determine whether she is suffering from fertility problems. These tests will rule out or confirm the existence of a fertility problem in the woman’s body and will help to diagnose the specific problem causing this condition.

Fertility problems in the woman’s body are generally divided into two types: hormonal problems (problems connected to the process of ovulation) and mechanical and genetic problems. The second category includes defects in the development of the reproductive system, development of cysts or polyps, production of antibodies to sperm, adhesions in the uterus or fallopian tubes, and more.

Male Fertility

Difficulty in becoming pregnant can also be caused by fertility problems from which the man suffers. Incidentally, there are cases in which both partners may suffer from fertility problems. Therefore, in almost every case in which the woman did not succeed in becoming pregnant after a year of trying, both partners are tested.

As mentioned above, even though gynecologists mainly deal with the female reproductive system, gynecologists also treat cases of male infertility.

Common male fertility problems

• Hormonal defects, e.g. deficient production of testosterone, the male hormone
• Infection or inflammation of the reproductive system
• Low sperm count or few sperm cells in the semen
• Genetic diseases or defects
• Problems with sperm movement
• Varicocele (enlargement of the veins in the scrotum)

Treatment Stage

Prior to beginning treatment, it is important to know that the cause of infertility will not always be found. In many cases, the tests of the man and of the woman will be found to be normal, but they still do not succeed in becoming pregnant. These cases are defined as unexplained, but they also are treated.

There are many ways to treat fertility problems, depending on the type of problem and on those suffering from it: hormonal treatments, administration of medicines, insemination, etc. However, one of the most common treatments is in vitro fertilization.

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

When the woman becomes pregnant naturally, one sperm cell fertilizes the egg, thus starting the process of the development of the embryo. In the in vitro fertilization (IVF) process, the fertilization is done under laboratory conditions, outside of the woman’s body. Originally, this procedure was intended for overcoming blockage of the fallopian tube, but today it is used to overcome many fertility problems.

The IVF process encourages the ovary to produce a relatively large number of eggs, using special medicines. After production, they are retrieved from the ovaries and conveyed to the laboratory. In parallel, sperm cells are obtained from the man. They need to undergo a type of “ripening” before they can fertilize the eggs. After that ripening, they are placed in a test tube together with the eggs.

At Herzliya Medical Center Hospital, this step is performed by an additional method – ICSI or micromanipulation – which is suitable for cases in which the man suffers from infertility. In this technique, a sperm cell (which was chosen in advance and underwent enhancement) is injected directly into the egg, in order to increase the chance for fertilization. In either case, after the fertilization succeeds, one or more eggs are introduced into the uterus, in accordance with the woman’s physical configuration and the couple’s request, and the pregnancy continues to develop naturally.

The medical staff at Herzliya Medical Center aspire to as much flexibility as possible in setting up appointments with the couple. If needed, the couple will be able to benefit from a sperm or egg donation and even carry out embryo freezing, at their request.

For advice and further information, contact us at telephone: +972-9-959-4888, or leave your details and we will get back to you promptly.