Infertility surgery

Infertility is one of the common problems that couple face especially when trying to start a family. Over the years, various treatments have been tried in order to find a solution to this problem, and as a result, numerous researches and studies have been started.

Research has shown that there are many causes to infertility. Some causes are more on the hormonal imbalance of each person, whereas there are some which have certain defects or abnormalities in the physical structure of the person. There are also those who have developed certain diseases or problems that led to the infertility, and many other reasons.

One of the treatments available to address infertility problems are surgical methods. There are various types of infertility surgeries that are available; these differ between men and women. Starting off with the procedures done on women, here are the following infertility surgery procedures being done:

•    Artificial insemination – this is one of the oldest treatments that have been used for over a century. During the procedure, a hollow instrument called a “catheter” is loaded with a donor’s semen, and is then used to put the semen into the vaginal canal or uterus of the woman. These inseminations are done only during the time when the woman is ovulating otherwise the the semen may be wasted.

•    In vitro fertilization – this is a newer surgical procedure that was used in 1978 when Louise Brown was known as the very first “test tube” baby. This procedure is often used when other options have been deemed inappropriate or have failed. This is used in cases where the woman has damaged fallopian tubes, or diseased fallopian tubes.

•    Laparoscopy – laparoscopy is done on women since it allows doctors to discover which parts have defects or have been damaged which could be the cause of the infertility.

For men, there are also other procedures that would help males who are suffering from infertility. The following infertility surgery procedures are available for males who have no other choice but to undergo these surgical processes:

•    Varicocelectomy – this is a treatment is for the varicoceles that occurs in the testes of the males. This problem often affects the production of sperms. After the surgery has been finished, the production of the sperm should be restored when the varicocele is eliminated and blood flow is once more returned to normal.

•    Hydrocelectomy – this procedure is done to remove the many hydroceles that is found in the male scrotum. This is not a known common procedure, however it is often done when the hydrocele is causing the male a certain amount of pain during ejaculation. If the hydrocele is not removed, sperm is often blocked from flowing freely right into the ejaculatory duct.

•    Vasectomy reversal – there are two types of surgeries that is done to reverse vasectomy: epididymostomy and vasovasostomy. These procedures reverse the vasectomy done on the male reproductive system. Among the two, the vasovasostomy has been found to be the most common. During this procedure, the surgeon will connect the vas deferens directly into the epididymis which enables the bypass of the blockage allowing the flow of the sperm to flow once more.

These are just a few of the infertility surgery procedures that are available for males and females to undergo if there is nothing else left to do. In most cases, surgical procedures are done as a last resort mainly because infertility surgery can have certain effects on the body of the person being operated. Before going into surgery, the doctor often informs the person that there are possible complications to each surgery, and that there are certain percentages of succeeding or failing in each operation.