Artificial insemination Artificial insemination is a treatment that can help some couples have a baby. It involves directly inserting sperm into a woman’s womb. It's also known as intrauterine insemination (IUI).
Low sperm count (oligozoospermia) Up to a fifth of young men find themselves with a low sperm count, defined as fewer than 15 million sperm per millilitre of semen. A low sperm count or poor sperm quality is the cause of infertility in about 20% of couples with fertility problems in the UK, and a contributory factor in a further 25% of couples.
IVF In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is one of several techniques available to help people with fertility problems have a baby. During IVF, an egg is removed from the woman's ovaries and fertilised with sperm in a laboratory. The fertilised egg, called an embryo, is then returned to the woman's womb to grow and develop.
Infertility Infertility is when a couple cannot get pregnant (conceive), despite having regular unprotected sex. Around one in seven couples may have difficulty conceiving. This is approximately 3.5 million people in the UK.
Vasectomy (male sterilisation) A woman can get pregnant if a man’s sperm reaches one of her eggs (ova). Contraception tries to stop this happening by keeping the egg and sperm apart or by stopping egg production. One method of contraception is vasectomy (male sterilisation).
The progestogen-only pill A woman can get pregnant if a man’s sperm reaches one of her eggs (ova). Contraception tries to stop this happening by keeping the egg and sperm apart or by stopping egg production. One method of contraception is the progestogen-only pill (POP).
What is the male pill? In the past 50 years, there have been few changes in male contraception compared with the range of options available to women. Today, the only contraceptive methods available to men are:
IUS (intrauterine system) A woman can get pregnant if a man’s sperm reaches one of her eggs (ova). Contraception tries to stop this happening by keeping the egg and sperm apart or by stopping egg production. One method of contraception is the IUS, or intrauterine system (sometimes called the hormonal coil).
IUD (intrauterine device) A woman can get pregnant if a man’s sperm reaches one of her eggs (ova). Contraception tries to stop this by keeping the egg and sperm apart or by stopping eggs being produced. One method of contraception is the intrauterine device, or IUD (sometimes called a coil).
Female sterilisation A woman can get pregnant if a man’s sperm reaches one of her eggs (ova). Contraception tries to stop this happening by keeping the egg and sperm apart or by stopping egg production. One method of contraception is female sterilisation.
Emergency contraception (morning after pill, IUD) Emergency contraception can prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex or if your contraceptive method has failed – for example, a condom has split or you've missed a pill
Disclaimer: The health-related content provided here may be generated or assisted by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and is intended for general informational and educational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.