Fertility Treatment

This lesson covers:

  1. How hormones can be used to increase fertility 
  2. What 'IVF' is and how it works 
  3. The pros and cons of IVF

What does follicle stimulating hormone do? 

Maintain the uterus lining 

Stimulate an egg to mature 

Stimulate the building up of the uterus lining 

Stimulate an egg to be released (ovulation)

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What does luteinising hormone do? 

Stimulate an egg to mature 

Stimulate the building up of the uterus lining 

Stimulate an egg to be released (ovulation)

Maintain the uterus lining 

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If a woman cannot conceive naturally, she can be given (FSH) and (LH), which in many cases will restore fertility.

follicle
stimulating
hormone
luteinising
hormone

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IVF stands for:


"In "

Vitro
Fertilisation

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The stages of in vitro fertilisation


uterus / embryos / FSH / oestrogen / ovaries / sperm / fertilised / egg


  1. First, a woman is given and LH to stimulate their eggs to mature.
  2. These eggs can then be collected from the woman's . is also collected from the male.
  3. The eggs are then by the sperm.
  4. These fertilised eggs are then left to grow into in a laboratory incubator.
  5. Once the embryos are large enough, they are transferred to the women's , so that they can develop into a foetus.


FSH
ovaries
Sperm
fertilised
embryos
uterus

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Sometimes, fertilising an egg with sperm may require "Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)". 


What is this?

Sperm is fired into an egg cell at a very high speed

Sperm swim along a tiny tube into the egg cell

Sperm is injected into an egg cell with a tiny needle

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Illustration showing embryos kept in an incubator in the laboratory.

Why are embryos kept in an incubator whilst in the laboratory? 

To provide the optimum temperature for enzymes and thus cell growth

To prevent mutations taking place within the embryo cells

So that the sperm have a higher chance of fertilising the egg cells

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What are the cons of IVF?

(Select all that apply)

It doesn't always work

Can cause abdominal pain and vomiting 

It can be stressful and emotionally upsetting 

High risk of developing cancer

High chance of multiple births and associated complications

Have be less than 25 years old

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Why do some people think IVF is unethical?

(Select all that apply)

Some embryos (which had the potential for human life) are destroyed 

It could lead to 'designer babies' if parents can select embryos with certain traits

It helps infertile couples conceive 

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During IVF, where are the egg and sperm mixed?

In the fallopian tubes

In a surrogate mother 

In a laboratory 

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What do we call the release of an egg from the ovary?

Menstruation 

Fertilisation 

Ovulation 

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