FERTILITY CONTROL

Question 1

the biology of controlling fertility

Answer 1

infertility treatments & contraception is based on the biology of fertility.

Question 2

women are what kinda fertile?

Answer 2

women show cyclically fertility leading to a fertile period.
women are only fertile for a few days during each menstrual cycle.

Question 3

identification of the fertile period

Answer 3

a women’s body temperature rises around 0.5 degrees Celsius (due to progesterone action) after ovulation and her cervical mucus becomes thin & watery ~ to allow sperm easier acess to the oviducts.

Question 4

men are what kinda fertile

Answer 4

men show continuous fertility. men continually produce sperm in their testes so show continuous fertility.

Question 5

treatments for infertility ;
stimulating ovulation (female)

Answer 5

ovulation can be stimulated by 2 types of drugs;
- drugs that mimic the normal action of FSH & LH e.g follistim
- drugs that prevent negative feedback by oestrogen on FSH secretion e.g clomifene.

They can also be used to collect eggs for IVF purposes.
These drugs can cause super ovulation which can lead to multiple births (twins, triplets)

Question 6

treatments for infertility; artificial insemination (male)

Answer 6

used if a man has a low sperm count.

Artificial insemination involves collecting samples of the man’s semen (refrigerated/ frozen till required).

sperm is collected & inserted into the female reproductive tract ( uterus)

if man is infertile, donor sperm can be used (donor insemination)

Question 7

treatments for infertility; intra- cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) (male)

Answer 7

used if sperm is defective or very low in numbers.

procedure involves drawing the head of one healthy sperm into a syringe needle and injecting it directly into the egg for fertilisation.
During the procedure the egg is held in place with a holding tool.
Eggs from a donor can be used if the women’s eggs are non - viable.

Question 8

treatments for infertility; in vitro fertilisation (IVF) female

Answer 8

fertilisation happens outside the women’s body, by specialists i the lab.
egg maturation & ovulation is stimulated using drugs, mature eggs are removed surgically.
egg and sperm are combined in a petri dish so fertilisation can occur.
fertilised eggs begin to divide, forming zygotes.
2-3 healthy embryos are selected & implanted into the uterus.

pre implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) - genetic screening of the embryos can be preformed pre - implantation.
~ can be used to identify specific genetic disorders e.g sickle cell anemia, fibrosis & chromosomal abnormalities.

Question 9

contraception ; physical methods

Answer 9

• condom
• diaphragm
• cervical cap
• intra - uterine device (IUD) ~ t shaped fitted into the uterus

Question 10

contraception ; physical methods ~ sterilisation

Answer 10

surgical sterilisation procedures are usually irreversible.

vasectomy - sperm ducts are severed in men, no sperm can be released.

tubal ligation - oviducts are cut & tied, no egg reaches the uterus.

Question 11

contraception ; chemical methods

Answer 11

combination oral contraceptive pill (COCP) - contains a combination of synthetic oestrogen & progesterone that will cause negative feedback & prevent the release of FSH & LH - eggs don’s mature & no ovulation takes place.
(3 weeks use)

mini pill - progesterone only ~ causes the thickening of cervical mucus - sperm can’t reach egg. (3 weeks use)

morning after pill - taken within 24hrs after sexual intercourse. Prevents ovulation & implantation. Usually a very high dose of oestrogen & progesterone.

hormonal patch - small sticky patch that releases hormones through the skin to prevent pregnancy (3 weeks use)