The Use of Hormones to Treat Infertility

Question 1

Fertility drugs:

Answer 1

• used to increase chance of pregnancy
• main hormones used are FSH and LH, which stimulate he maturation and release of the egg. The women can then get pregnant normally.

Question 2

IVF:

Answer 2

• woman given FSH and LH to encourage the maturation of eggs, which are extracted and fertilised in the lab using sperm. The fertilised eggs develop into embryos and then one or two are inserted into the uterus.

Question 3

Benefits:

Answer 3

• provides a way for infertile couples to have a child

Question 4

Cons:

Answer 4

• physically stressful for women as they may have reactions to hormones
• emotionally stressful because it may not work
• can lead to multi-births/ unexpected and may cause harm to mother or baby
• expensive as process needs to be repeated