Human fertility refers to the body's natural way of becoming pregnant. There are many different factors that contribute to a woman's ability to become pregnant naturally including their medical health, overall nutrition, hormones, emotions and more. Age is one of the most indicative factors of fertility, especially for females, as a woman's fertility usually peaks around age 35. Fertility rates refer to the number of offspring produced whether it is based upon one person, an entire population, or a courting pair. Some people have issues with their fertility, but there are many options available to increase the likelihood of pregnancy.
Pregnancy Tests
Pregnancy tests work to determine whether a woman is pregnant or not by looking for traces of the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). There are different options for women who would like to determine whether or not they are pregnant. Most pregnancy tests will require that the woman has missed a period, so that it does not misread the sample, possibly giving a false negative result. The most common pregnancy test is an at-home test. It requires a small amount of urine be placed on the sample window of a plastic tester. After a few minutes the results window will change to indicate if the woman is pregnant or not. Other pregnancy tests involve a blood sample to determine for hCG. This test is most often done in a doctor's office and will give accurate results.
Fertility Clinics
Fertility clinics are used to help women and men who are looking to have children of their own, but have not yet been successful. Fertility clinics employ many different medically trained professionals to help assist and inform those who are looking to learn more about their options for becoming pregnant. The staff generally includes nurses, sonographers, embryologists, gynecologists and reproductive specialists. This team will help to determine what the medical reason is why a couple is not able to become pregnant naturally, and whether it is the male or the female who is one who has fertility issues. Once the fertility clinic has run the necessary tests, treatment options will be presented. Based on the couple's personal needs and finances, a decision will be made about what option is used. Options may include artificial insemination, In vitro fertilization, or using an egg or sperm donor.
IVF
In vitro fertilization (IVF) refers to the medical process of which an egg if joined with the sperm outside of the physical body. The words "in vitro" means in glass, which is where most often the egg is fertilised by the sperm. IVF may use medicinal drugs or not, which will dictate if it is classified as natural or mild IVF. There are many different methods that are employed for in vitro fertilization including gestation surrogacy. This refers to the fertilised egg being implanted into a surrogate's uterus, and will be brought to term. Ovarian hyper stimulation is also used to induce follicles (many at a time) in the ovaries. IVF is increasing in popularity as many women are delaying starting a family to focus on their career.
