Some women have difficulty becoming pregnant because their eggs do not mature or are not released. A fertility drug contains the hormones FSH and LH. When these are given to a woman she may then become pregnant in the normal way.
In In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment, the mother is given FSH and LH to stimulate the maturation of several eggs. The eggs are collected from the mother and fertilised by sperm from the father in the laboratory. The fertilised eggs develop into embryos. When the embryos are tiny balls of cells, one or two are inserted into the mother's uterus (womb). Only one or two are used because more would raise the risk of multiple births.
Fertility treatment gives a woman the chance to have a baby of her own, but there are disadvantages. It is very emotionally and physically stressful, and the success rates are not high. It can also lead to multiple births, which are a risk to both the babies and the mother. Doctors and patients may weigh these points differently when deciding on treatment.
