Parenthood is undeniably one of the most universally desired goals in adulthood, and most people have life plans that include children. However, not all couples that desire a pregnancy will achieve one spontaneously and a proportion of couples will need medical help to resolve underlying fertility problems. Many couples of reproductive age in are unable to have children. Approximately 161 million women in reproductive age suffer from infertility with this figure projected to increase in the following years.
Despite considerable research and technical advances in the field of reproductive medicine, infertility remains an unsolved problem. In vitro fertilization (IVF) technology remains the most effective treatment. However the rate of successful pregnancy following IVF is still very low, in the order of 15 to 25% per cycle. The process is invasive and can cause great anguish to the patient, especially when there is no resultant pregnancy. Undertaking an IVF program is also expensive anywhere in the world. The relative inefficacy of IVF, together with its high cost and associated psychological trauma necessitates that alternative approaches to infertility treatment are sought.
