Target Population for IVF Treatment
The target population for ivf treatment can be divided into two main groups: cases where ivf is the final treatment method, and cases with a chance of conceiving without IVF. These cases are referred to The ivf Clinic after other clinical treatment or surgery has failed.
Mechanical Infertility
In the past, mechanical infertility was the main indication for ivf treatment and today comprises 30% of infertility cases. It is usually caused by a dysfunction of the fallopian tubes caused by infections or surgeries. The tubes are either completely or partially blocked. Subsequently, the transition of the egg from the ovary to the fallopian tube or in the passage within the fallopian tube itself is problematic.
Male Infertility
Today, about half of ivf cases are caused by male infertility problems. The amount of sperm needed for ivf is significantly lower than the amount required for natural fertilization. Micromanipulation methods are used in cases where the male suffers from a small amount of sperm, sperm immobility or pathological shapes of sperm, as well as in cases of failure of fertilization.
Unexplained infertility
When tests performed on a couple with fertility problems do not indicate any abnormal finding and pregnancy is still not achieved, the infertility is defined as unexplained. This is not uncommon and occurs among 10% of patients who experience infertility.
Immunologic Infertility
Immunologic infertility is a situation where the presence of antibodies against sperm causes death or disabling of sperm. This condition has an incidence of about 5% in men and women. Sometimes it is possible to suppress the antibody levels and neutralize them by steroid therapy and repeated sperm washes prior to injection into the cervix or uterus. If that does not yield any results, patients are referred for ivf treatments, which ensure that the sperm does not come in contact with the female's immune system.
Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a condition where sections of the endometrium can be found growing outside the uterus: on the walls of the pelvis, fallopian tubes, vagina, cervix and ovaries. In many cases, endometriosis causes the formation of ovarian cysts, adhesions, and disruption of the mechanism of the egg and its acceptance by the fallopian tube. Treatment with ivf allows doctors to bypass the problem.
Ovarian Failure
Premature ovarian failure is characterized by a lack of menstruation in women under the age 35, and is the cause of 1%-5% of infertility cases. The status of the ovaries among women with premature ovarian failure is similar to that of post-menopausal women with inactivity of the follicles and ovulation. Ovarian failure may be caused by congenital genetic problems, infections, reduced stock of ovarian oocytes from birth, or a process of degeneration in the ovary, radiation or chemotherapy treatments and autoimmune disorders. The treatment in these cases is egg donation.
Egg donation
There are cases where the woman is unable to conceive with her own eggs and requires egg donation. These cases include removal of the ovaries, early menopause, hereditary diseases or abnormal oocytes that could not be fertilized by any of the methods in use.
For the woman who needs egg donation, it is necessary to prepare the uterine lining for receiving the embryos by giving her estrogen pills that artificially build the endometrium. When there are eggs for donation, the patient begins to receive vaginal tablets of progesterone to prepare her uterine lining for embryo implantation in the uterus.
Surrogacy
The term refers to the use of one woman's womb for the birth of a baby resulting from the fertilized egg of another woman. Women who may need this treatment are those whose uterus has been removed; is missing from birth; is unable to carry a pregnancy.