When you have been desperately trying for a baby for months - or years- and it's just not happening for you, the business of fertility treatment can become very confusing. Is it just hype or do you really dare to hope?
It's true that for every piece of fertility hype you are fed, and every ray of baby hope you feel, you run the risk of being disappointed and depressed if still nothing happens.
But the good news is that there have been such amazing strides forward in fertility treatment over the years that you can believe some of the hype, and you do have a good chance of being able to cradle your baby in your arms one day.
And remember you are not unusual. As many as one out of every seven couples is infertile or has low fertility and will need some kind of medical intervention to achieve a pregnancy.
Fertility treatments
Fertility drugs (clomid or gonadotrophins) are often the first step on the treatment leader when a couple is struggling to conceive.
These drugs stimulate the woman's ovaries to produce more mature eggs each month, thereby increasing her chances of conceiving. The "risk" is that there is a greater chance of multiple pregnancies.
IVF (in vitro fertilisation) may be the next step, especially if the problem is blocked tubes or poor sperm production.
When undergoing IVF the woman takes fertility drugs to stimulate egg production. Once these eggs have matured they will be removed with a fine catheter tube and put into a Petri dish with a fresh sample sperm from the woman's partner (or donated sperm).
Hopefully one or two healthy embryos will be the result and these will be returned to the woman's uterus to continue as any normal pregnancy would. Remaining viable embryos can be frozen for future use.
GIFT (Gamete intrafallopian transfer) is similar to IVF, but the extracted eggs and sperm are immediately transferred to the uterus to fertilise in the body instead of in the laboratory.
If poor sperm production is the problem, sperm extraction is an option. A small needle extracts sperm directly from the testicles. This procedure can be used for men who have had failed vasectomy reversals.
ICSI (Intracytoplasmic sperm injection) involves injecting a sperm directly into the harvested egg in the laboratory and then returning it to the uterus. It is a recommended procedure where the man has a low sperm count.
Blastocyst transfer involves the embryo being created in the laboratory (as in IVF) but it is only transferred back after five or six days when it has had longer to develop in laboratory conditions. The success rate for this delayed transfer is quite high.
Assisted hatching is when a small hole is made in the lining of the womb to help the embryo attach to the lining. This procedure was developed as some doctors believe the gelatinous film on the womb could hamper the progress of an embryo.
It's true that for every piece of fertility hype you are fed, and every ray of baby hope you feel, you run the risk of being disappointed and depressed if still nothing happens.
But the good news is that there have been such amazing strides forward in fertility treatment over the years that you can believe some of the hype, and you do have a good chance of being able to cradle your baby in your arms one day.
And remember you are not unusual. As many as one out of every seven couples is infertile or has low fertility and will need some kind of medical intervention to achieve a pregnancy.
Fertility treatments
Fertility drugs (clomid or gonadotrophins) are often the first step on the treatment leader when a couple is struggling to conceive.
These drugs stimulate the woman's ovaries to produce more mature eggs each month, thereby increasing her chances of conceiving. The "risk" is that there is a greater chance of multiple pregnancies.
IVF (in vitro fertilisation) may be the next step, especially if the problem is blocked tubes or poor sperm production.
When undergoing IVF the woman takes fertility drugs to stimulate egg production. Once these eggs have matured they will be removed with a fine catheter tube and put into a Petri dish with a fresh sample sperm from the woman's partner (or donated sperm).
Hopefully one or two healthy embryos will be the result and these will be returned to the woman's uterus to continue as any normal pregnancy would. Remaining viable embryos can be frozen for future use.
GIFT (Gamete intrafallopian transfer) is similar to IVF, but the extracted eggs and sperm are immediately transferred to the uterus to fertilise in the body instead of in the laboratory.
If poor sperm production is the problem, sperm extraction is an option. A small needle extracts sperm directly from the testicles. This procedure can be used for men who have had failed vasectomy reversals.
ICSI (Intracytoplasmic sperm injection) involves injecting a sperm directly into the harvested egg in the laboratory and then returning it to the uterus. It is a recommended procedure where the man has a low sperm count.
Blastocyst transfer involves the embryo being created in the laboratory (as in IVF) but it is only transferred back after five or six days when it has had longer to develop in laboratory conditions. The success rate for this delayed transfer is quite high.
Assisted hatching is when a small hole is made in the lining of the womb to help the embryo attach to the lining. This procedure was developed as some doctors believe the gelatinous film on the womb could hamper the progress of an embryo.