Infertility treatments are stepped up in stages. They start with the simplest and least invasive, such as drug-induced ovulation and intrauterine insemination, and move on to IVF when the cause, the woman's age or the couple's history calls for it.
The available options
- Ovulation induction with tablets or injectable gonadotropins.
- Intrauterine insemination (IUI).
- IVF, conventional or with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
- IVF in a natural cycle.
- IVF with donor eggs or donor sperm.
- Egg freezing to preserve fertility.
The choice is never off-the-shelf. The protocol, the dosage and the timing of each step are adapted to the woman's age, her ovarian reserve, the semen parameters and how previous attempts have gone.