Fertility Treatments on a Global Scale

Human fertility goes far beyond biological-instinctive factors, it is a complex issue that has a lot to do with culture, social conditions, emotional aspects, nutrition and economics. Falling birth rate in developed countries is a great medical and economic concern. There is an increasing number of infertile couples who have to face heavy physical, psychological and financial ordeals to have a child.

What Factors Influence Fertility and Fecundity

Latest studies have discovered inversive correlation between intelligence, education level, income and fertility.Fertility is the actual production of offsprings and easily measurable, fecundity is the mere capacity or the potential to produce offsprings.

• Young couples nowadays try to establish a standard of living that they judge appropriate for childrearing.
• Prolonged education, job insecurity, social expectations play a major role in fertility.
• Some health conditions from either the male or female side may hinder conception, which is generally referred to as involuntary infecundity.

What can be in the background of infecundity?

• Sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis, chlamydia can be in the background.
• Nutritional factors, malnutrition or eating disorders.
• Unfinished breast-feeding.
• Surgeries like tubal ligation and vasectomy reduce fecundity to 0%.
• Hormonal imbalance, lack of hormonal cycles.
• Age
• Sperm quality

Female Fertility

Woman fertility is at its peak in the early 20s and falls drastically after the age of 35. The end of the fertile period of a woman’ life happens from 45 to 55 of age, however latest studies suggest that there is a life-long, monthly production of eggs in mammals, which might refute current theories about the ageing of female reproductive organs. Clear numbers indicate the increased risk of birth defects with the advance of age.

Male Fertility

• Evidence shows an age related decrease in sperm volume, count and quality.
• Increased paternal age has been related to higher risk of birth defects and later mental disorders.
• Overweight can negatively influence fertility.
• Lifestyle factors such as sedentary life, smoking and drinking have been widely associated with a drop of sperm quality.

How to Increase Fertility?

• Regular checkups are recommended to maintain sexual hygiene.
• Use of fertility drugs.
• Control your weight. Try to keep your BMI between 20-25.
• Healthy habits – cut down on alcohol and coffee, give up smoking.
• Timing is everything. Keep track of your fertility window. Two days before and after the ovulation date is the fertile window, the period of peak fertility.
• Frequent sex boosts fertility as sperm motility falls after about five sexless days.
• Avoid exposures to toxins and certain chemicals, like pesticides.

Fertility Clinics

Provide medically supervised treatments and fertility surgery to help couples or individuals to conceive offsprings. A wide range of specialists such as endocrinologists, gynecologists, nutritionists cooperate in performing diagnostic tests and fertility treatment.

Fertility Treatments

• Ovulation induction
• Fertility surgery
• Intrauterine insemination
• In vitro fertilization
• Use of an egg donor or sperm donor

Fertility Tourism

Traveling abroad for fertility surgery and other treatment is an upcoming trend in medical tourism. Besides costs savings, another strong motive of outland fertility treatments is the unavailability of the desired procedure in certain countries. Statistical data show an approximate number of 25,000 couples traveling abroad annually for reproductive treatments.

The most common fertility treatments performed abroad are in vitro fertilization (Israel is the most popular destination) and seeking anonymous egg donation abroad (India is the major provider of this market). Some countries are attractive because of the lack of regulations regarding the number of embryos allowed to place in the uterus, others because of the lenient policies of egg donation, sex selection or sperm donation. Denmark is the number one sperm exporter, they provide legendarily high quality sperm to over 50 countries. Barbados in the past decade has made a giant leap in fertility surgery.

Tens of thousands of couples head to India for surrogacy services, which might cost between $10,000 and $28,000 including the surrogate’s fee and clinic costs (fertilization and delivery).