Infertility is a serious issue which can take physical as well as emotional toll on the couples suffering from it. It takes place due to a variety of causes and accordingly, advancement in medical science has brought a variety of treatment procedures to tackle these issues.

Here are 6 types of treatment for infertility:

In Vitro Fertilization or IVF

One of the most popular and commonly used infertility treatments is IVF or in vitro fertilization, which involves combining the egg and sperm in the lab conditions to form an embryo. The embryo is then placed in the womb of the woman to implant itself on the wall of the uterus and the pregnancy to continue in a normal manner. The technique is used when the couple is not able to conceive for a considerable time span due to unknown reasons. It may be carried with donor eggs donor sperms or both, when there are some issues with the eggs and sperms of the couple.

Intrauterine Insemination or IUI

Intrauterine insemination or IUI, also known as artificial insemination is a process in which treated sperms are injected within the uterus with a thin tube, at the exact time of ovulation so that it can reach the egg and get it fertilized. It is used in couples where the male has a low sperm count or when pregnancy is not taking place due to unexplained causes.

Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection or ICSI

Intracyroplasmic sperm injection or ICSI is a process which involves injecting a single sperm of the male into a single egg to form an embryo, which is then implanted into the uterus. ICSI is usually clubbed with IVF when the male infertility is the main issue for the suffering couple. The sperm, in this case is usually removed from the male testicle with the help of a microscopic surgical needle.

Zygote Intrafallopian Transfer

In this procedure again, the eggs and sperms are combines in a lab for making an embryo. The only difference is that the embryo is implanted into the fallopian tubes rather than the uterus and the process is done when it is still in the zygote stage, when the cell division has not occurred.

Egg Donation

Women who are not able to produce eggs at all or their eggs are not viable enough for pregnancy, fins a ray of hope in the treatment process called egg donation. In this case, eggs harvested from some other woman are combined with sperms using IVF and the embryo so formed is transferred in the woman’s uterus.

Surrogacy

Another popular infertility treatment is gestational surrogacy, in which a surrogate mother is the one who carries the baby for the infertile couple. The process is used for women who cannot bear a baby normally and uses the egg of the woman, the surrogate or the donor, depending upon the circumstances.

In addition to these medical treatments, certain alternative therapies have also been found effective in treating infertility problems. There include acupuncture and fertility center massage, both of which work towards stimulating the reproductive functioning of the body.