> Dress for success

> Killing for honour

> Man marries four women

> Perfume do's and don'ts

> There's money in Mao

> Divorced via SMS

> Cape Town's Baby Expo

> Online sex users married

> US has stream dating

> Thinking about inking?

Today, 25 November 2009

› Boks are thugs - Ireland

Yesterday, 24 November 2009

› McBride: I'm being bugged

› Top ANC official hijacked

› Batting for Hersch

› Els gets thumbs down

› Maroga's salary summary

Starting a family is one of life's gifts many of us take for granted. But for one in every six couples, a diagnosis of infertility means this dream is not so easily realised.

A couple is considered infertile when there has been no conception after a year of unprotected sex.

After 35, a woman should preferably seek assistance if conception has not occurred within six months.

Vitalab Fertility Clinic's Dr Merwyn Jacobson says it is important that couples struggling to conceive avoid waiting too long before visiting a fertility clinic: "Most couples visit a fertility clinic only after many unsuccessful experiences. The sooner a childless couple visits a fertility clinic, the sooner they can get started on their fertility journey."

"Dealing with the challenge of infertility is emotionally challenging, but a holistic fertility clinic like Vitalab can prepare, nurture and support infertile couples to help them better cope emotionally and physically during this roller coaster of a journey.

"Contrary to the common perception, women are not necessarily more likely than men to be the cause of infertility. In fact, as Dr Jacobson explains: "In about 40 percent of cases, the problem lies with the man, while, in 35 percent of cases, the problem is primarily female. The remaining cases may result from combined factors or be inexplicable."

Two types of treatment

Fortunately, technological breakthroughs in infertility treatment mean that couples struggling to conceive, today have a greater chance of having children.

There are currently two types of fertility therapy: natural methods and assisted reproductive techniques such as artificial insemination, In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer (GIFT).

While in many cases, IVF may offer the last hope to conceive a child, for women with standard indications for IVF (e.g. blocked or diseased fallopian tubes), the pregnancy rates per treatment cycle have improved significantly over the past three decades.

Huge advances in dealing with reduced sperm mobility is also good news for childless couples, as these advances have revolutionised therapy for male infertility.

Hi-tech breakthrough techniques continue to further improve a childless couple's chances of conceiving. A new technique called array comparative genomic hybridisation (CGH), for example, means the way the eggs work and the quality of the embryos can be established in an IVF cycle to help further improve birth rates and minimise the incidence of miscarriage and birth defects.

This is a significant breakthrough as one of the main reasons IVF doesn't work is chromosomal abnormality; up to half of eggs in younger women, and up to 75 percent in older women are not functionally normal.

South Africa has a number of leading edge fertility clinics and this, combined with the significant strides being made in dealing with infertility, offers great hope for today's childless couples to realise their dream of having children.