Dr Alfred Murage: What's next for couples after a failed infertility treatment?

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Worldwide, nearly one in every six couples experience problems with conception. Some may still conceive spontaneously in the course of time, but others will be deemed infertile thereby requiring fertility treatment. Recommended fertility treatments depend on the eventual diagnosis. The range of treatments spans from simple lifestyle modifications to more advanced interventions like IVF (in-vitro fertilization, commonly referred to as 'test-tube babies').

If infertility is correctly diagnosed, and appropriate treatment offered, the expectation is conception and delivery of a healthy baby. Many couples will conceive once appropriate treatment is given. Unfortunately, fertility treatment outcomes are also fraught with failures. Sometimes the cause of the failure is easily identified and resolved. Other times it is elusive, leaving patients and fertility clinicians quite frustrated.