Give Hope, Give Life

6 Pages 1605 Words

Give Hope, Give Life
Infertility is a growing problem in the world, but there are solutions for couples who are affected by it.
In the United States alone, over 6.1 million people are affected by infertility and many of those people deal with medical, psychological and financial stresses related to their condition. Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system, in either a male or a female, which inhibits the ability to conceive and deliver a child. "Infertility is the inability to conceive after one year of trying for couples in which the female is under 35, and six months of trying for couples in which the female is over 35" (Infertility, 2004). There are solutions to infertility such as medication and treatments, but when attacking the problem a few technical and ethical issues arise.
Infertility is a problem because couples who want to conceive a baby are unable to. "Conception and pregnancy are complicated processes involving many biologic factors and phases: the man needs to produce healthy sperm and the woman healthy eggs; the cervical mucus needs to be healthy and abundant so that the sperm can travel up through the cervical canal to the uterus and fallopian tubes; the fallopian tubes need to be open and accessible so that the sperm can reach the egg; the sperm has to be able to fertilize the egg when they make contact; the fertilized egg (the embryo) has to be able to implant in the woman’s uterus; and, finally, both the embryo and the woman’s uterine environment need to be healthy and strong for the baby to come to term" (Infertility, 2004). If any one of the factors is faulty or damaged, infertility can occur. According to the Georgia Reproductive Specialists, in the cases of infertility, 30% is attributed to the female, 30% is attributed to the male, 30% is attributed to both, and in 10% of cases the cause is unknown. Almost all infertility cases are treatable with medicine, surgery, and assisted repro...