Infertility
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Infertility - Causes and Treatments
What is infertility?
Infertility is the term health care providers use for women who are unable to get pregnant, and for men who are unable to impregnate a woman, after at least one year of trying.
In women, the term is used to describe those who are of normal childbearing age, not those who can’t get pregnant because they are near or past menopause.
Women who are able to get pregnant but who cannot carry a pregnancy to term (birth) may also be considered infertile.
What causes infertility?
Infertility does not have a single cause because successful pregnancy is a multi-step chain of events.
Simply described, pregnancy includes the following steps: A woman’s ovaries must be able to release a viable egg, which then must be able to travel down the fallopian tube. The man must be able to ejaculate, and his sperm must be able to travel to the fallopian tube. The sperm and egg must unite to fertilize the egg. The fertilized egg must at Read More...
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In Vitro Fertilization
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is the joining of a woman’s egg and a man’s sperm in a laboratory dish. In vitro means “outside the body.” Fertilization means the sperm has attached to and entered the egg.
Description
Normally, an egg and sperm are fertilized inside a woman’s body. If the fertilized egg attaches to the lining of the womb and continues to grow, a baby is born about 9 months later. This process is called natural or unassisted conception.
IVF is a form of assisted reproductive technology (ART). This means special medical techniques are used to help a woman become pregnant. IVF has been successfully used since 1978. It is most often tried when other, less expensive fertility techniques have failed.
There are five basic steps to IVF:
Step 1: Stimulation, also called super ovulation
Medicines, commonly called fertility drugs, are given to the woman to boost her egg production. Normally, a woman produces one egg per month. Fertil Read More...
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Erectile Dysfunction
Sexual problems are not uncommon among men, especially as they age. Many men have problems getting or keeping an erection. Some men have problems with ejaculation. Others have lower than normal levels of testosterone, which is the most important male sex hormone. The good news is that treatment often can help sexual problems.
Erection Problems
Problems getting or keeping an erection is called erectile dysfunction, or ED. ED used to be called impotence. It’s hard to know how many men have ED. But estimates of U.S. men affected range from 15 million to 30 million. Most of the time, ED has a physical cause. ED may mean your blood vessels are clogged. It may mean you have nerve damage from diabetes. Many health problems can lead to ED. ED is also a side effect of many common medicines, including some used to treat depression or high blood pressure. Unhealthy habits like smoking, abusing alcohol, overeating, and leading an inactive lifestyle also can lead to ED. Emotional factor Read More...
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