A clinical round up of the female infertility therapy amongst Indians

Background: Infertility varies across the regions of the world and it has been estimated to affect 8 to 12% couples worldwide. It tends to be the highest in countries with high fertility rates. The WHO has estimated the overall prevalence of primary infertility in India to be between 3.9 and 16.8%. Moreover, the prevalence of primary infertility has also been shown to vary across the tribes and castes within the same region in India. Area focussed: Some common medicines which are used to treat infertility in women include-Clomiphene citrate, Human Menopausal Gonadotropin or hMG, FSH, the Gn-RH analog, Metformin, Bromocriptine, etc. Some modern technologies which assist conception include-assisted reproductive technology (ART), In vitro fertilization (IVF), Zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT), Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT), Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and intrauterine insemination (IUI). Other options like surrogacy and gestational carriers are also there. Conclusion: Female infertility is a challenging issue despite the high fertility rates. ART gives reprieve in 41% of the cases, but the most commonly tried methods are pharmacotherapy, ayurvedic preparations and faith healing.