Infertility is a people problem, not a female problem. Infertility occurs almost equally in men and women, and a few cases are due to problems with both partners.
For the vast majority of men with male infertility, there are no visible or obvious signs that anything is wrong. Healthy erectile function and normal ejaculation are not guarantees that your sperm is in tip-top shape.
The older you are, the more likely you are to face infertility. However, young men and women also face infertility. Age-related infertility is only one possible cause of decreased fertility.
Couples experiencing infertility do have options in the form of other fertility treatments.
Treatment plans are individualized to suit the patient’s cause for infertility.
Of all the available fertility treatments, IVF is the least likely to lead to a high-order pregnancy (triplets, quadruplets). With IVF treatment, only one or two of the healthiest embryos is carefully selected and transferred to the uterus. This reduces the risk of multiples significantly.
Each month, your body naturally selects a group of eggs for possible stimulation and ovulation. Normally, only one of those eggs will be stimulated, matured, and be ovulated. In an IVF cycle, all of the eggs are stimulated and therefore there is a greater chance that multiple eggs will mature and be retrieved. None of the other eggs your body has designated for future menstrual cycles are affected by the IVF cycle.
There is a misconception that the gonadotropins used to stimulate the ovaries in IVF will cause cancer. There have been instances of ovarian tumors, but there is no definite causal link established.