Many couples face the problem of “difficulty having children.” No matter how hard they try, the wife still does not get pregnant. For those who are facing this problem, the fertility technology at the Infertility Treatment Center, Phyathai 3 Hospital, can help!!
Understanding Infertility
Infertility means that a couple has regular unprotected intercourse 3-4 times a week and does not conceive within 1 year, or there are risk factors that cause difficulty in having children, such as irregular menstruation, history of surgery on reproductive organs in either husband or wife. In this case, you can consult a doctor without waiting for a full year. However, for couples of older age, the waiting time may be shorter. For example, if pregnancy does not occur within 6 months and you want to have children, you should consult a doctor promptly.
Who Causes Difficulty in Having Children?
Normally, the causes of difficulty in having children are 40% from the male side, 40% from the female side, 20% from both sides, and 10% are unknown causes. Statistics show that 15% of couples in Thailand and 14% of couples worldwide are facing this problem…
- Causes from the “male side”: Male infertility can result from various causes, including genetics causing low or no sperm production, low sperm count, abnormal sperm motility and morphology, use of certain medications such as chemotherapy drugs, radiation, drug abuse, smoking, alcohol consumption, some medications, or chronic diseases such as diabetes, thyroid disorders, endocrine diseases, and injuries or surgeries in the testicular area affecting sperm, etc.
- Causes from the “female side”: Female infertility can also result from various causes similar to males, such as advanced age (35-40 years), history of miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy reducing fertility, pelvic inflammatory disease, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, pelvic surgery, abnormal menstruation such as amenorrhea or abnormal bleeding, congenital pelvic organ abnormalities, being overweight or underweight, and chronic diseases such as diabetes, thyroid disorders, etc.
Treatment Steps When Visiting a Doctor
Initially, the doctor will take a detailed history and perform a physical examination, such as history of having children, menstrual history, sexual activity, chronic diseases, surgeries, sterilization, infections of reproductive organs, and will perform an internal examination to check for any abnormalities. Then, the doctor will recommend semen analysis, ultrasound to detect abnormalities in the uterus and ovaries, or hysterosalpingography to check for abnormalities in the uterine cavity and fallopian tubes, etc. Laboratory tests may also be done to find additional causes. If the cause is treated but natural conception is still not possible, the doctor will provide consultation regarding the use of fertility technology to achieve pregnancy.
End the Problem of “Difficulty Having Children” with Fertility Technology
- “Artificial Insemination” – the treatment method closest to natural conception
Artificial insemination or Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) is the treatment for infertility that is closest to natural conception. It involves selecting healthy sperm to be injected back into the uterine cavity, increasing the chances of fertilization between egg and sperm and increasing the chance of pregnancy. It is suitable for those with mild abnormalities or mild male factor problems.
- “ICSI” – a popular technique that increases pregnancy chances over 50%
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is a highly popular method because it helps achieve a pregnancy rate of over 50%. It uses technology for fertilization outside the body by injecting a single sperm directly into the egg. The fertilized egg is then cultured outside the body until the appropriate time, about 3-5 days, before transferring the embryo into the uterine cavity for pregnancy.
- Detect abnormalities before embryo transfer… with Embryo Biopsy technique
This method involves sampling some cells from the embryo for genetic abnormality analysis. It is commonly done on embryos at 3-5 days stage. The sampled cells are analyzed for genetic diseases or for embryo screening before transferring the embryo into the uterus.
- PGS and PGD techniques… help detect genetic diseases
These techniques increase the success rate of pregnancy before embryo transfer into the uterine cavity. PGD (Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis) diagnoses gene-level abnormalities to detect inherited diseases such as thalassemia. PGS (Preimplantation Genetic Screening) checks whether the embryo’s chromosome number is abnormal, such as Down syndrome, which has an extra chromosome 21.
Whenever a couple cannot conceive naturally, consulting a specialist in infertility treatment helps identify causes of infertility from both male and female sides. The doctor will provide advice and, if abnormalities are found, will treat and correct the causes accordingly.
Dr. Kulthida Sapsamutchai
Obstetrician-Gynecologist, Specialist in Infertility
and Reproductive Medicine
Phyathai 3 Hospital
