Currently, the factors causing infertility in each family are delayed marriage or readiness to have children at an older age, especially women over 35 years old. This group has more difficulty conceiving due to various factors such as the quality and quantity of eggs in the ovaries decreasing with age. In addition, other factors related to health and behavior, such as alcohol consumption, heavy smoking, and stress, are all problems contributing to infertility.
Infertility is defined as a couple who has been married for 1 year and has regular sexual intercourse 3-4 times per week without contraception, yet no pregnancy occurs in a woman aged 35 years or older. We allow only 6 months in this case, indicating a problem with infertility. However, if the couple is concerned and wants to have children, they can consult a doctor without waiting for 1 year, especially women over 35 years old. Time should not be wasted because increasing age affects the success rate. They should see a doctor to plan appropriate treatment to enhance the completeness of the family with “your adorable little child”.
Treatment of Infertility
The causes of infertility are found to be from the female side about 30-40%, the male side about 30-40%, about 10-20% have problems on both sides simultaneously, and 10-20% are unexplained causes.
The first step is to see a specialist in infertility to find the cause. The doctor will take a detailed history related to the couple and assess abnormalities of the uterus and ovaries in the female by performing an ultrasound. For the male, only sperm quality is tested. Within just 1-2 hours, we will know the results as well as detailed methods and steps for treatment.
What are the treatment steps?
After a detailed examination to find the cause, if a cause is found, treatment will be focused on the main cause first. However, if the cause is unknown, meaning the test results of the couple are within normal limits, the doctor usually recommends the following treatment steps:
- Have sexual intercourse naturally using an ovulation test kit to determine the exact and accurate ovulation day.
- Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a relatively simple method with about a 15-20% chance of embryo formation. It involves mild ovarian stimulation to produce about 2-3 mature eggs using ovarian stimulation drugs either orally or by injection.
- In Vitro fertilization (IVF) is the infertility treatment method with the highest chance of pregnancy, averaging 40-50%.
