Diagnosis and hormone therapy – Used words
Infertility - infertile couple is defined as a woman and a man who didn´t achieve pregnancy after a period of one year of unprotected sexual intercourse.
The ovaries are magnificent glands which are part of the female reproductive system. The ovaries are about the size and shape of an almond and sit just below the fallopian tubes -- one ovary on each side of the uterus. Every month during ovulation, either the right or left ovary produces a single mature egg for fertilization.
Ovarian follicle is the basic unit of female reproductive biology and is composed of roughly spherical aggregations of cells found in the ovary. They contain a single oocyte (aka ovum or egg). These structures are periodically initiated to grow and develop, culminating in ovulation of usually a single competent oocyte in humans. These eggs/ova are only developed once every menstrual cycle (e.g. once a month in humans).
The corpus luteum, which means yellow body in Latin, is what is left of the follicle after a woman ovulates. During the follicular phase of a woman’s cycle, several follicles develop under the influence of FSH (follicle stimulating hormone). Each follicle contains an egg. In a typical cycle only one egg will become mature enough for ovulation. When a woman ovulates the egg will burst from the follicle. Then what is left of the follicle will become the corpus luteum. The luteal phase, named after the corpus luteum, is the second half of a woman’s menstrual cycle. The luteal phase begins after ovulation and continues until menstruation occurs.
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process by which egg cells are fertilised by sperm outside the womb, in vitro. IVF is a major treatment in infertility when other methods of assisted reproductive technology have failed. The process involves hormonally controlling the ovulatory process, removing ova (eggs) from the woman's ovaries and letting sperm fertilise them in a fluid or by ICSI / intracytoplasmic sperm injection /
After embryo transfer the following medication starts to create optimal conditions for implanted embryo.
Embryo transfer is performed through the neck of the womb. A catheter is passed through the cervix and embryo/s are then loaded into the womb. The procedure is quick and painless and does not require an anaesthetic. You will not need to be sedated and may leave the unit after a rest period of one hour.
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
ICSI is a technique sometimes used with in vitro fertilisation (IVF) in which one sperm is injected directly into one egg in order to fertilise it. This is especially useful for men with very low sperm counts since ICSI ensures that the sperm reaches the egg directly rather than waiting for the sperm to naturally fertilise the egg. Thus, ICSI is sometimes used as a treatment method for male infertility
Intrauterine insemination (IUI) involves preparing the male partners sperm in the laboratory and then placing only those sperm which move well and are normally formed in the women’s uterus. The sperm are transferred into the uterus at the time of ovulation. IUI can be performed with the sperm of the male partner or with donor sperm.