Infertility

Infertility

Nowadays, one out of ten couples has problem of infertility. Infertility is a condition when the body's most basic function for conceiving baby is impaired. Infertility is the inability of a couple to conceive after a year of regular unprotected intercourse. By definition, normal frequency of intercourse is twice a week.

In the olden days, infertility is a shameful topic and the blame is usually on the wife who is unable to conceive. The causes of infertility can be traced to the female in 30% of cases, the male in 30% and both female and male in another 30%. In the remaining 10%, the cause remains unknown despite all relevant tests to determine the cause of infertility have been performed. There is always hope for these couples, those with known cause as well as those with unknown causes.

Assisted reproductive techniques (ART) are treatments designed for these infertile couples to help them to have babies of their own. There are various types of ART available; intrauterine insemination (IUI), in vitro fertilization (IVF), gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). All of these treatments have one common purpose i.e. to give nature a helping hand by giving a better chance for the eggs and sperm to meet, fuse and fertilize to form embryos.