The treatments offered obviously depend on the causes of infertility found during medical investigations. They also adapt to the couple’s age, medical history and the number of years they have suffered from infertility. Despite the variety of treatments available, some causes of infertility cannot be corrected.

In humans, medication or behavior therapy can cure some ejaculation disorders and allow her couple to conceive a child. If there is an insufficient number of sperm in the semen, hormones may be prescribed to correct this problem or surgery may sometimes be offered (to correct a varicocele, a dilation of the veins in the spermatic cord, located in the testicles, for example).

In women, hormonal treatments for menstrual cycle problems can be effective. Treatments like clomiphene citrate (Clomid, by mouth) are prescribed for stimulate ovulation. This medication is effective in the event of hormonal imbalance since it acts on pituitary, a gland that secretes the hormones that trigger ovulation. Several other hormones can be prescribed by injection to stimulate ovulation (see our IVF sheet). In case of hyperprolactinemia, bromocriptine may also be prescribed.

In some cases, surgery may be necessary. If the fallopian tubes are blocked, surgery can cure this disorder. In case of endometriosis, drugs to stimulate ovulation or in vitro fertilization may be necessary to hope to conceive a child.

Techniques assisted reproduction are therefore sometimes necessary in cases of infertility. The in vitro fertilization is the technique of most frequently used assisted reproduction. The man’s sperm are placed in the presence of the woman’s egg in the laboratory, then the embryo is re-implanted in the uterus of the future mother (IVF).