To many a childless couple, nothing is more important than having a happy, bouncing baby by their side. But infertility is a big hurdle and the root cause of not being fertile must first be identified. If you can’t figure out what’s wrong, then how can you seek the right treatment? So pinpointing the cause of the problem is the first thing to do.
Having determined the cause of their inability to conceive, many couples opt for IVF treatment (In Vitro Fertilization). IVF is getting more popular by the day but is this the best option for you? Is it always effective for problems of infertility? Not really. IVF is costly and have lots of negative side effects for the woman.
On a brighter note, there are several non-invasive and cheap alternatives to IVF treatments that may produce the result that you so desire. For example, ovarian stimulation, timed intercourse and artificial insemination are viable options.
Infertility can be caused by many factors so it is important to get the right treatment for the right cause. Alternative treatments to IVF can be considered as long as they help the couple to conceive.
You and your partner must make a decision whether or not to go for In Vitro Fertilization. If you decide not to go for IVF, there are a number of other options that you may choose as an alternative treatment or solution to having a child :-
1. Adopting A Child
Adopting a child is also getting fashionable these days, thanks to movie stars who are adopting children from all over the world.
Just as in IVF treatment, adopting a child also has its own set of problems. There are many problems and potential trouble areas you will have to resolve when trying to adopt a child but thankfully none of these will affect your health directly. When adopting a child, you must seek guidance to help you prepare yourself mentally for the onerous task of raising someone else’s kid.
There are issues involved in adopting a child but none that you cannot handle. However, if the idea of adoption doesn’t appeal to you, then you may consider fostering a child instead. Fostering occurs when the parents of a child cannot presently support their offspring. This could be a good short-term commitment for you.
2. Gamete Interfallopian Transfer (GIFT)
GIFT is a cheap alternative to In Vitro Fertilization treatment that you can try. This procedure is a similar to IVF in terms of fertilization of the eggs but note that the eggs are transplanted back into fallopian tubes and not into the uterus as in In Vitro Fertilization . GIFT makes conception more natural but it may not be suitable for all couples due to different medical conditions.
3. ZIFT (Zygote Intrafallopian Transfer)
ZIFT is a method that closely resembles In Vitro Fertilization and GIFT. This method can be defined as : “a way of treating infertility by removing eggs from a woman’s ovaries, fertilizing them in the laboratory with sperm from her partner or a donor, and inserting one or more of the fertilized eggs into one of her fallopian tubes”
4. Tubal Embryo Transfer
This procedure is similar to ZIFT. and GIFT. It can defined as “a procedure, usually performed via laparoscopy, in which one or more embryos are inserted in the fallopian tubes via a thin catheter a few days following egg retrieval”
Although most people think that IVF is THE preferred choice in assisted fertilization, it doesn’t always work for many childless couples. For some couples, In Vitro Fertilization cannot address specific problems. For others, it is not as cost effective as other methods and may have only limited benefits.
So think carefully before deciding to go for IVF . There are always other options you can try which are not as expensive and stressful as IVF.
On a side note, if you and your partner’s problem is due to the male factor, ie problems with low sperm count or low quality sperms, there is help. The male partner can try to increase the quality & quantity of his sperms by consuming herbal sperm enhancing supplements . One of the best brands on the market is Semanax. Do check it out.
