4.5.3.6 The Use of Hormones to Treat Infertility

Question 1

What are fertility drugs used for?

Answer 1

• increase chance of pregnancy

Question 2

What are the main hormones in fertility drugs?

Answer 2

• FHS
• LH
• stimulate maturation and release of egg
• woman can become pregnant normally

Question 3

What is in vitro fertilisation (IVF)?

Answer 3

• mother given FSH and LH to encourage maturation of eggs
• extracted from mother and ferilised in lab using sperm
• ferilised eggs develop into embryos, then 1 or 2 inserted in uterus

Question 4

What are the benefits of fertility treatments?

Answer 4

• provides a way for an infertile couple to have a child

Question 5

What are the cons of fertility treatments?

Answer 5

• physically stressful as woman may have reactions to hormones
• emotionally stressful, may not work
• can lead to multiple births which are unexpected, causing risk to babies and mother
• can be expensive in needed to repeat