In Vitro Fertilization or IVF Alternative - Making the Right Choice

If you've been thinking about In Vitro fertilization or IVF, this article will give you information about IVF alternatives as well as the potential risks involved with the procedure. As always you should discuss your options with a doctor before making any medical decisions. Being unable to conceive is a devastating fact of life for millions of women, options such as adoption, IVF, and surrogacy to name a few have provided opportunities for women unable to conceive, but want to have children in their lives. But there are millions more women that are suffering from infertility problems that have external causes that can possibly be remedied.

What causes infertility in women?
? Hormonal deficiencies or imbalances
? Structural reproductive organ problems
? Illness
? Surgery can cause hormonal disruptions and chemical imbalances from potent medications.
? PID or Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) an infection of the reproductive organs and the?pelvis is one of the most common causes of female infertility.
? Adrenal gland and thyroid deficiencies.
? Scar tissue from vaginal or abdominal surgeries.
? Medications - antibiotics, antidepressants and anti-inflammatory agents.

Indications that someone is infertile will vary from one individual to another, but the most common sign of infertility is the inability to become pregnant after having regular, unprotected sex for a year or more without any birth control in place. Even if you are generally healthy, have normal menstrual cycles, and exhibit a healthy sex drive you may still become infertile.

Here are a couple of questions to ask yourself if you believe you may be infertile.

- Is either partner 35 years of age or older? A 30 year old woman has a 20% chance of getting pregnant during any one cycle. However, at 40 years of age the chances are reduced to as low as 5%. So, if you are over 35 and have been unable to conceive for six months or more without success, you may want to seek medical attention to discuss possible fertility issues.

- Do you have regular or irregular menstrual cycles? Irregular menstrual cycle could be a warning signal of a fertility issue. This is hardly conclusive however, but if you are having trouble conceiving and your menstrual cycles are outside of the 24 to 35 normal menstrual cycle span, you might want to talk to a physician...just to be certain.

Risks Involved with (IVF) In Vitro fertilization.

Basically In Vitro fertilization is a process where a woman's eggs are retrieved from the body and inseminated in a lab with semen from a partner or a donor. The resulting embryos are transferred to the uterus in a separate procedure. Drugs are used to induce the release of mature eggs from the ovaries. A light anesthesia is administered, and the eggs are usually removed by ultrasound guided retrieval or, less commonly by laparoscopy. Any surgery, even what is considered minor surgery poses some risks. Many women are selecting one of the many IVF alternatives as a first choice instead of subjecting themselves to the possible risks associated with surgery.

Talk to you doctor about IVF alternative options if you believe you need help conceiving, you can also find information on the internet - just remember to talk with your doctor before undertaking any actions.