5.3.6: The use of hormones to treat infertility (HT only)
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Hormones can be used in modern reproductive technologies to treat infertility.
A fertility drug can contain FSH and LH to stimulate egg maturation and release, so a woman may become pregnant in the normal way.
IVF involves giving FSH and LH to stimulate maturation of several eggs.
The eggs are collected from the mother and fertilised by sperm from the father in the laboratory.
The fertilised eggs develop into embryos.
When the embryos are tiny balls of cells, one or two are inserted into the mother’s uterus.
Fertility treatment can give a woman the chance to have a baby of her own.
Fertility treatment can be emotionally and physically stressful, success rates are not high, and multiple births can risk both babies and mother.
Developments in microscopy techniques have helped IVF treatments develop.
Common exam mistakes
Do not confuse infertility treatment with contraception; fertility drugs and IVF are used to increase the chance of pregnancy.
IVF fertilisation happens in the laboratory, not in the oviduct.
In IVF, several eggs are matured and collected; do not describe only one egg as if it were the normal menstrual cycle.
Embryos are inserted into the uterus, not the ovary.
IVF evaluations need specific points such as low success rate, emotional or physical stress, multiple births, cost, or ethical issues about embryos.