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Infertility - the failure to conceive a child after a year or more of intercourse without contraception
Motile - active
Ovulate- to release an egg from the ovary
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) - a common result of recurring pelvic infections in women - often leads to blocked Fallopian tubes & infertility.
Endometriosis - when fragments of the uterine lining grow on the surface of the ovaries or Fallopian tubes - can block the reproductive tract.
 Assisted Reproductive Techniques
Ψ In vitro fertilization (IVF) - a technique in which the ova are surgically removed from a woman and fertilized with sperm in the laboratory - after being fertilized, they inserted back into woman’s uterus
Ψ Gamete Intra-Fallopian transfer (GIFT) or Zygote intra-Fallopian transfer (ZIFT) - inserting either sperm and unfertilized ova (gametes) or fertilized ova (zygotes) directly into the Fallopian tube
Fertility
Ψ Overall, 2 to 30% of all couples experience infertility. The U.S rate is about 15% because cultural practices postpone reproduction until after the most fertile ages.
Male Infertility
• most common reason: do not produce a sufficient number of live, motile sperm
(primary cause of infertility in ¼ of all infertile couples)
• as men grow older, the number, shape, and motility of their sperm decline
• men over 40 take three times longer to produce a pregnancy than men under 25
• waiting at least three days between ejaculations is advisable to allow the sperm count to rise
• anything that impairs normal body functioning reduces the number, shape, and motility of the sperm: like high fever, radiation, prescription drugs, environmental toxins, unusual stress, drug abuse, alcoholism, or cigarette smoke
Female Infertility
• most common reason for infertility is failure to ovulate
• another common reason is blocked Fallopian tubes - often caused by Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
• reasons include all of the previously stated, plus being underweight and being obese
• incidence of infertility rises steadily with age
• another common problem, again age-related but not directly age-caused, is endometriosis
Medical Advances
• minor physical abnormalities that cause infertility in the male are often correctable through surgery
• in women inability to ovulate can be treated with drugs to stimulate ovulation, and blocked Fallopian tubes can often be opened surgically
• surgery can also help with endometriosis
• Assisted Reproductive Techniques
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