Hormones To Treat Infertility And IVF (Higher Tier Only)

Why Do Some Women Need Help With Fertility?

Some women have low levels of FSH or LH, meaning:

• Their eggs do not mature.
• Ovulation does not occur.
  This can lead to infertility (not being able to conceive).

Hormone Treatment for Infertility

Doctors can give women artificial FSH and LH as fertility drugs:

• FSH stimulates eggs to mature.
• LH triggers ovulation.

This increases the chance of pregnancy.

Pros:

• Can help women who could not otherwise conceive.
• Less invasive than IVF.

Cons:

• Doesn’t always work.
• Multiple births (twins / triplets) can occur.
• Hormone injections can cause side effects like mood swings or headaches.

IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation)

IVF is a fertility treatment where fertilisation happens outside the body:

IVF Steps:

1. Women are given FSH and LH to stimulate egg production and development.
2. Several eggs are collected from the ovaries during a surgical procedure.
3. Eggs are mixed with sperm in a lab to allow fertilisation to occur.
4. Cell division occurs by mitosis and an embryo develops.
5. One or two embryos are placed back in the woman’s uterus.
6. If they successfully implant, it may lead to a successful pregnancy.

Pros:

• Helps couples who cannot conceive naturally to have a baby of their own.
• Can be used with donor eggs or sperm if needed. (For example, if the man or woman has a genetic disease).

Cons:

• Expensive.
• Low success rates, especially in older women.
• Physically and emotionally stressful.
• Can lead to multiple births which are a risk to both mother and baby.
• Ethical concerns (unused embryos may be destroyed).

Multiple births (e.g. twins or triplets) are considered risky because they increase health risks for both the babies and the mother. Here’s why:

Risks to Babies:

• Premature birth – babies are often born too early, leading to underdeveloped organs.
• Low birth weight – increases risk of infection, breathing problems, and developmental delays.
  

Risks to Mothers:

• Greater chance of complications during labour – such as needing a Caesarean section (C-section).
• More severe postnatal recovery – including physical and emotional strain.

This is why fertility treatments like IVF are carefully monitored to reduce the number of embryos implanted and minimise the chance of multiple births.

Embryo screening

Embryos can be screened to detect inherited disorders before they are implanted into the mothers uterus. Some people argue that embryo screening should not be allowed because:.

• The embryos might be damaged in the process.
• It will be a stressful process for the mother and father.
• The screening process is very expensive.
• The embryo cannot give consent.
• It also demonstrates an increased prejudice against other people with inherited disorders.

Practice Questions