Fertility Drugs: Are they worth it? :: Pregnancy Reproduction Medical Essays

Fertility Drugs: Are they worth it? Over the past few years there seems to have been an increase in the amount of couples that have used fertility drugs and ended up having nine or more children. The couples' stories have been aired on the news, and when interviewed, many of the couples stated that they only wanted one child, but because one of the spouses was infertile, they were unable to get pregnant. At the advice of their doctor, the couple took fertility drugs, and the result was the rapid expansion of their family. The effectiveness of fertility drugs such as Clomiphene and Bromocriptine are overshadowed by their many, and often very harmful, side effects. Are infertility drugs worth the cost that possible side effects have? Causes and Solutions to Infertility Infertility affects 7.1 percent, or 2.8 million couples, of married people in the United States. It is difficult to assess the overall percentage of infertility that exists in the United States, as many individuals do not know that they are infertile until they attempt to have children. In addition, information on the web is confined to addressing infertility among married couples, thus this web paper discusses studies conducted among married couples. Less than a third of married couples seek help from their doctors, even though almost 90 percent of all cases of infertility have one or more causes than can be treated. Infertility's most common causes include egg quality/production, blocked tubes, and the male-factor. (1). Problems in egg quality/production are the result of poor egg quality, irregular ovulation or failure to ovulate because of hormonal deficiencies or imbalances. A fourth case is polycystic ovarian syndrome, which is a condition in which a hormonal imbalance prevents the egg-containing follicles on the ovaries from maturing and releasing an egg, instead forming sometimes painful ovarian cysts. These problems, especially deteriorating egg quality, are often age-related, and apply most often to women 37 and older. Possible solutions to poor egg quality/production include use of a donor egg, fertility drugs such as Clomiphene and Bromocriptine, and in vitro fertilization (IVF). (1). Blocked fallopian tubes are often the result of scar tissue, adhesions, and damaged tube ends (fibria). Another common cause is endometriosis, which is the growth of endometrial cells (the tissue that lines the uterus) outside the uterus, most often on the ovaries, Fallopian tubes, or the exterior of the uterus.