Fertility Treatment Options for Single Women
In the past, women who chose to start a family on their own were considered somewhat of a faux pas, but we are far beyond those dated ideas. Today, many women take control of their own family planning, choosing to have a child when they are ready, whether they have a partner or not.
Single women do not have to let their relationship status determine when, or if, they can start a family. At her fertility clinic, Houston Fertility Center, Dr. Sonja Kristiansen offers her Houston, TX, patients a wide range of fertility treatment options for single women, giving them control of their family planning.
Intrauterine Insemination
When a single woman is ready to become a mother, the most straightforward fertility treatment option is intrauterine insemination, also known as artificial insemination or IUI. During IUI treatment, a semen sample is collected and washed. Concentrated sperm is placed into a thin catheter, which is passed through the vagina and into the uterus. IUI greatly reduces the distance that sperm have to travel to reach an egg, which increases the chance of a successful pregnancy.
To undergo IUI treatment a single woman will need to work with a sperm donor. The sperm donor can either be someone that the woman personally knows, or an anonymous donor through a sperm bank. We can assist our Houston patients in facilitating a sperm donation so that they are ready for fertility treatment.
In Vitro Fertilization
In vitro fertilization, or IVF, is an assisted reproductive technique. This multi-stage procedure is more complex than IUI, but it is the most appropriate fertility treatment for some of our single female patients. IVF may be necessary if a woman has experienced fertility issues and chooses to work with an egg donor, or if she is undergoing treatment using her own eggs that she has previously frozen.
During IVF treatment, we perform ovarian stimulation to promote the production of multiple mature eggs. Eggs are collected via an egg retrieval procedure and are then fertilized with donor sperm in a laboratory setting. Fertilized eggs are observed for several days. Finally, resulting embryos are rated and the most viable are selected for embryo transfer. During embryo transfer, selected embryos are passed through the vagina and cervix and deposited into the uterus. If treatment is a success, the embryo will implant to the lining of the uterus, thus resulting in a pregnancy.
Egg Freezing
Not all single women who undergo fertility treatment are ready to start a family right away. Egg freezing gives single women the opportunity to preserve fertile eggs so that they are available when they decide it is time to have a child. Prior to egg freezing women undergo ovarian stimulation. This stimulates the ovaries to produce multiple mature eggs. Released eggs are retrieved from the uterus and quickly frozen to preserve their quality. Egg freezing allows women to take their time starting a family without worrying about their fertility diminishing with age.
Explore Your Options
If you are a single woman who would like to take control of family planning, the fertility treatments offered at Houston Fertility Center can be of assistance. To learn more about the services available to you, we invite you to send us a message online or call (713) 225-5375 to schedule a personal consultation.
