Monday 23 July 2012

FEMALE INFERTILITY: Implications and Treatments


Seeking professional guidance to handle female infertility  From "The Times Of India"
By Dr. Pratima Grover. | May 26, 2012

Infertility is perceived as a problem across virtually all cultures and societies and affects an estimated 10%-15 % of couples of reproductive age. In recent years worldwide, the number of couples seeking treatment for infertility has dramatically increased due to factors such as postponement of childbearing in women, development of newer and more successful techniques for infertility treatment, and increasing awareness of available services. Parenthood is one of the major transitions in adult life for both men and women. The stress of the non-fulfillment of a wish for a child has been associated with emotional squeal such as anger, depression, anxiety, marital problems, sexual dysfunction, and social isolation. Couples experience stigma, sense of loss, and diminished self-esteem in the setting of their infertility. In general, in infertile couples women show higher levels of distress than their male partners however, men's responses to infertility closely approximates the intensity of women's responses when infertility is attributed to a male factor. Both men and women experience a sense of loss of identity and have pronounced feelings of defectiveness and incompetence. Infertility in our country has long been neglected as a social and health problem and instead seen as a curse among women. The ability of women to give birth to a child is considered as an act of contributing for the next generation inheritors of the family. Even men who are considered infertile have to face the social stigma of being labeled an impotent person. In most occasions it might lead to emotional distress, break of family bonds, divorce, discord in the family and even infidelity. Although there are several technological breakthroughs available now, compared to the situation 15 years ago, married couples in our society are yet to break the mold and come to terms with the cause of infertility and seek professional counseling and treatment. Detecting the causes of female infertility and successful treatment of the same involves adequate support from family members and friends so that women can approach professional infertility clinics without any emotional baggage or stigma. Kiran Infertility Center, based in Khairatabad, Hyderabad is a pioneer in the field of infertility treatment, surrogacy and sperm bank. They use latest technologies for detection of female infertility like Hysterosalpingography and Laparoscopy. A hysterosalpingogram is an X-ray study done after a liquid X-ray dye is allowed to flow into your uterus through a slender catheter positioned just inside the cervix. The dye outlines the shape of your uterine cavity and reveals problems such as polyps, fibroid tumors or other variations in the shape of the inside of your uterus. The dye also flows through the fallopian tubes and can reveal problems such as partial or complete blockage. Laparoscopy is a surgical procedures performed by a gynecologist. The procedure uses a small video camera to view the pelvic organs. Laparoscopy allows the doctor to view the outside of your uterus, and to inspect your ovaries. Sometimes, it is possible to remove cysts or scar tissue from an ovary using laparoscopy. The process of detection is sometimes time consuming and leads to emotional stress but specialists at this center are experienced in counseling, mentoring and treating such conditions. Kiran Infertility Center also specializes in Assisted Reproductive technology/techniques and has earned considerable reputation in this field. One of them is IUI Intrauterine insemination (IUI) also termed as artificial insemination where the female is injected with specially prepared sperm and treated with medicines to stimulate ovulation before the process of insemination. Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) represents a group of various medical techniques used for curing infertility related ailments and this involves removing eggs from a woman's body which are then mixed with sperm of a male to create embryos. These embryos are subsequently cultured for 2 to 5 days in Incubators and implanted in woman's uterus for successful pregnancy. These advances are expensive and consume more time but they have been found to be remarkable in helping women conceive and lead happy lives.IN VITRO FERTILIZATION (IVF) is the most effective ART where eggs removed from the female are fertilized using male's sperm in the laboratory. The healthy embryos created after 3 to 5 days are implanted in the woman's uterus. This process involves fertilization outside the body of a woman.IVF is not a solution for all infertility problems but a highly successful treatment option for infertility.IVF is cost effective when compared to other similar procedures, with a success rate of up to 40 % and considered a safe treatment.

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