Controlling Fertility Flashcards
Why is oestrogen used as a method of contraception?
It can be used to prevent the release of an egg as if it is taken everyday It will inhibit the production of FSH so eventually egg developing and production will stop
How does progesterone reduce fertility?
By stimulating the production of thick cervical mucus which prevents any sperm from reaching an egg
What is the pill?
An oral contraceptive
When made in the 1950’s it contained higher levels of oestrogen and progesterone
There was a link between oestrogen and side effects like blood clots so levels were lowered
What are the pros of the pill?
It’s over 99% effective and preventing pregnancy
It reduces the risk of certain cancers
What are the cons of the pill?
Is isn’t 100% effective
It can cause side effects like headaches, nausea and irregular menstrual bleeding
It doesn’t protect against STD’s
What happens if a women’s FSH levels are too low?
It causes their eggs to mature so no eggs are released and the woman can’t get pregnant
What does injecting FSH and LH do?
Stimulate egg release in the ovaries
What are the pros of this?
It helps a lot of women get pregnant that previously couldn’t
What are the cons of this?
It doesn’t always work and some women have to do it many times making it expensive
Too many eggs could be stimulated resulting in unexpected multiple pregnancies
What is IVF and what does it involve?
In vitro fertilisation
Involves collecting eggs from the women’s ovaries and fertilising them in a lab using the mans sperm, these are then grown into embryos
What happens once the embryos are tiny balls of cells?
One or two are transferred to the woman’s uterus to improve chance of pregnancy
FSH and LH are given before egg collection to stimulate egg production
What are the pros of IVF?
Fertility treatment can give an infertile couple a child
What are the cons of IVF?
Some women have a strong reaction to the hormones e.g. Abdominal pain/vomiting
Some reports of increased risk of cancer due to hormonal treatment
Multiple births can happen if more than one embryo grown into a baby which increases miss carriage risk
