Hormone Treatments for Fertility
💉 Hormone Treatments for Fertility
Hormones can be used to help people who have difficulty conceiving:
Clomifene therapy:
- Drug that stimulates release of FSH and LH
- Causes eggs to mature and be released
- Used when woman doesn't ovulate naturally
Biology glossary
- What is clomifene and how does it work?
- Clomifene is a drug that stimulates FSH and LH release from the pituitary gland. This promotes egg development and triggers ovulation, helping women who do not ovulate regularly.
- What does IVF stand for and what is it?
- IVF = In Vitro Fertilisation. It is a fertility treatment where eggs are fertilised by sperm outside the body in a laboratory, then the embryo is transferred to the uterus.
Hormones can be used to help people who have difficulty conceiving:
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Memory Aids
IVF steps — "SFEID":
- Stimulate ovaries with FSH injections
- Fertilise eggs with sperm in a lab dish
- Embryos grown for 2-5 days in incubator
- Implant 1-2 embryos into the uterus
- Discard / freeze remaining embryos
IVF vs Clomifene — "Simple vs Complex": Clomifene = tablet, stimulates natural ovulation, natural conception follows. IVF = injections, surgical egg collection, lab fertilisation, embryo transfer. Clomifene is the first step; IVF is when simpler treatments have not worked.
The ethical debate — three positions: (1) Pro-IVF: helps infertile couples have children; (2) Concern about embryos: unused embryos are destroyed, which some view as ethically problematic; (3) Multiple births risk: transferring two embryos raises risk of twins, which carries higher medical risks.
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Quiz · Question 1 of 8
Which two hormones are given to a woman at the start of IVF treatment to stimulate the production of multiple eggs?
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