The type of infertility treatment you are offered will depend on the problem or problems that have been identified.
But more and more couples in their 30s and early 40s are turning to IVF to help them fulfil their dreams of parenthood. Amazingly, more than 8,000 babies have been born as a result of IVF.
If you are not producing eggs regularly you will be offered ovulation stimulation treatment. This involves taking drugs to try and increase the number of eggs you produce and the frequency with which you produce them.
If there is a physical problem such as a blocked tube, surgery may be the most appropriate treatment.
Sometimes the couple are producing both sperm and eggs but the two cannot meet, perhaps because the woman’s tubes are blocked or there are problems with intercourse. In these cases artificial insemination is sometimes used where the sperm and eggs are physically placed together in the woman’s womb and nature does the rest.
If there are problems with sperm mobility or in cases of unexplained infertility, in vitro fertilisation (IVF) can be used where the sperm and eggs are collected and mixed in a test tube. When one or more eggs are fertilised they can be implanted back into the woman’s womb.
Where there are problems with the number or condition of the sperm, micromanipulation techniques may be used to place a single sperm inside the egg and then replace it back in the womb. These treatments include IVF, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), gamete intra-fallopian transfer (GIFT) and gamete donation.
Where couples do not produce either sperm or eggs, the only treatment option is to use donated sperm or eggs.
The treatment options open to you will depend on what is on offer in your area and whether you are eligible for NHS treatment or can afford private treatment. But before going ahead with a particular treatment, you will also want to find out what the treatment involves and the chances of having a baby at the end of it. What works for another couple may not work as well in your particular circumstances, so average success rates are only a rough guide. However, the national average success rates for the following treatments are:
Artificial insemination: up to 30 per cent success
IVF: 22 per cent success (slightly higher for ICSI)
GIFT: up to 30 per cent success
Some treatments are less invasive and expensive than others, although you may find yourself moving from one to another.
January 2009 | 
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