Women with medical problems like raised
blood pressure and diabetes should have
them well controlled prior to attempting
pregnancy. Their physician may suggests
a change in the medications or general
health-care.
Modern infertility therapy offers a
woman many more options than were possible
in the past. However these treatments
may have significant financial, emotional
and social demands. When traditional
treatments have failed or infertility
remains unexplained, assistance in achieving
pregnancy can be attempted by advanced
treatments like intrauterine insemination
or in-vitro fertilization (test-tube
baby).
Treatment options are limited for women
over 40 or for women with early menopause.
Eggs from a younger donor fertilized
by patient's spouse can be transferred
after in-vitro fertilization to these
women. In case of women who have no ovarian
function due to previous surgical removal
or treated Cancer resulting in premature
menopause, this treatment offers the
only chance of pregnancy. The process
of egg donation can involve a relative
or a friend or an unknown donor. The
child will not be the genetics offspring
of the recipient and special thought
must be given before deciding egg donation.
. All parties must understand how this
will impact the family and what they
will tell the child.
Even on busy IVF units there could
be more women requesting egg donation
than they have available donors. An alternative
option for these women is surrogacy. This
is a controversial issue but can be offered
to women who have had removal of uterus
or cannot become pregnant for medical
reasons. A surrogate is a woman
who agrees to become pregnant for a couple. A
surrogate can be a traditional surrogate
or a gestational carrier. It is critical
that a surrogate is screened carefully
psychologically, medically and legally.
Adoption, foster care and childfree leaving
are of course other alternative options.
In conclusion the
message of medical profession to our younger
generation is that child bearing is optimal
when a woman is in her twenties. Then she’s
at her most fertile, her eggs are still
healthy and viable and there is a lower
risk of having genetically abnormal children.
Besides, there are lower risks of miscarriage
and birth related complications. Even the
career oriented young ladies should be
aware of the fact that they can always
have adequate spacing between two children.
Medical science has gifted the society
with very healthy and satisfactory means
of family planning. Young ladies today
must learn to balance their ambitions and
social responsibilities and should give
priorities to the right things at the right
time.
