New Modalities of Assisted Reproduction

According to Dr Gincy Mathew, IVF Specialist and Consultant Reproductive Medicine Manipal Fertility Ongole said, “The use of assisted reproduction or reproductive medicine is helping many couples to achieve their dream of becoming parents.

Infertility is neither a taboo nor a permanent disorder which does not have any solutions. Gone are the days when couples and women especially had to bear the brunt of not having kids.

Thanks to newer technologies, many successful stories and specialized doctors, parenthood is not an unachievable dream anymore. The key to getting the right treatment is visiting the clinic early that will save time, cost and even stress. It is a myth that assisted reproductive treatments are expensive. “

Dr Gincy Mathew said, “Ovulation induction may be used by women who are not ovulating or are not ovulating regularly. Ovulation induction involves taking a hormone medication (tablet or injection), which stimulates the production of follicle-stimulating hormone.

This encourages the development of one or more follicles. When the follicles are large enough, another hormone is administered which releases the egg from the follicle. If the couple has intercourse around this time, the chances of conception are greatly increased.

Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a fertility treatment that involves placing sperm inside a woman's uterus to facilitate fertilization. The goal of IUI is to increase the number of sperm that reach the fallopian tubes and subsequently increase the chance of fertilization.

Laproscopy: At times due to fibroids or cysts in the uterus a women is not able to conceive, simple procedure of laparoscopy that uses a thin, lighted tube put through a cut (incision) in the belly to look at the abdominal organs or the female pelvic organs can help conception.”

Dr Gincy Mathew said, “Donor Conception: This can be used for both men and women. Donor sperms insemination can be done when male partner is lacking sperm count or is it high risk of passing genetic diseases/abnormality to the child. Similarly donor eggs can be used in case women is not able to produce eggs, or has had several miscarriages.

In-vitro fertilization (IVF): In IVF, the woman’s eggs are collected, along with sperm from the male partner. The egg and sperm are left in a culture dish in the laboratory to allow the egg to be fertilized. If fertilization occurs and an embryo develops, the embryo is then placed into the woman's uterus in a procedure called an embryo transfer.”

Dr Gincy Mathew said, “Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI): Essentially, ICSI follows the same process as IVF, except ICSI involves the direct injection of a single sperm into each egg to achieve fertilization and thus increases fertilization rate.

Surrogacy: Surrogacy involves using one woman's uterus for the purpose of implanting and carrying an embryo in order to deliver a baby for another person or couple. The woman who will carry the embryo is known as the surrogate. This process entails using in vitro fertilization in order to place the fertilized egg into the surrogate's uterus.

According to a study, India faces a high burden of infertility, with an estimated 27 to 30 million couples in the reproductive age suffering from lifetime infertility. Out of this Female factor accounts for 40 per cent to 50 per cent of infertility, while male factor, which is on the rise in India, accounts for 30 per cent to 40 per cent. So it’s never too late to consult fertility specialists as technology has evolved beyond imagination and has made a difference to people’s life.”