There are several causes of infertility. Some include problems with the female in various areas essential to conception like the single or bilateral fallopian tube stricture (narrowing) ,blockage or partial / total salpingectomy (surgical removal of the tube(s) or even tubal ligation.

There may be issues within the uterus like abnormal positioning, uterine environmental problems from endometriosis, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease to fibroids which makes it difficult for the fertilized zygote to inplant.

In the ovaries, there are possible problems with the egg production because of hormonal imbalances as well as conditions like cancer of the ovaries or Polycistic Ovary Disease.

Acute or Chronic sexually transmitted infections is a very common cause of female related infertility but there are many cases where there has been no history of these problems and the woman still has difficulty becoming pregnant or mantaining the pregnancy to term.

No doubt, for those who want to procreate, this is a most difficult matter that has a great emotional toll on both partners but inevitably more so on the female. Especially when she has been deemed the one with the structural or chemical problem.

Infertility that is male oriented is primarily due to low or poor quality sperm count and occasionally sperm duct defects due to sexually transmitted infections or genitic defects,or hormonal problems.

Regardless which member of the team has the problem, the infertility is now a couples' problem and there are many proven ways to assist them in having children of their own.

 "Just relax and it will happen naturally". These were the words that most couples were told, sometimes for years of trying, expectantly and failing, before they are given the pros and cons of the available options. These options are recommended based on the type of infertility.

• Artificial Insemmination
• ART (Assisted retrieval Techniques)

IVF (Invitrio Fertilization (test tube)

Intrauterine insemination (IUI)

ICSI ( intracytoplasmic sperm injection)

TFNA (Testicular Fine Needle Aspiration) Sperm is aspirated using a needle

MESA (Microsurgical epididymal sperm aspiration)  are only a few techniques utilized to retreive sperms for attempted pregnancy.

For a woman who has decided to proceed with infertility treatment, it can be a lengthy process of education and emotional preparation to deal with the possibility of failure and loss.

These facilities are the lifeline of many thousands of couples wishing to have children of their own. Some couples have considered adoption but others want genetic linkages to their offspring(s).

There is a variety of options available in this market today.

1. Infertile couples may be able to have sperm extracted from the male and eggs from the female fertilized in a laboratory and then implanted into the donor mother at the right time for pregnancy to take place.
2. Sometimes the male's sperm is extracted and fertilized with donor eggs from another female other than his wife/partner and implanted in the uterus of his female partner. The child will be genetically the father's with no genetic link to the mother.
3. Then there are instances where the egg is the mother's fertilized with donated sperm, leaving the child with no genetic link to the father.
4. Both eggs and sperm may be from donors with the birth parents having no genetic links to their child (ren).
5. At times, there is use of surrogate mothers to carry the pregnancy of a child to whom she has no genetic link.

Sometimes, infertility clinics are used by couples who are not infertile.Some couples store eggs, sperms and frozen embryos for later use. This is just in case they develop a problem that could affect their ability to have children later.

The decision to write this hub was primarily based on a real case of error at a Fertility Clinic in the USA where Carolyn Savage was impregnated with another couples' child.

Thankfully, both families were already parents to their own biological children but were ready to extend their families again.

The mix up resulted in pain, anger and guilt., and the options given to the parents of the "mixed up" pregnancy was to abort the pregnancy or give up the child to its biological parents after birth.One can only imagine what this felt like, being an involuntary surrogate parent.

In the mean time, the stored embryos belonging to the Savage’s cannot be located. Mrs. Savage has also been told that her body cannot stand another pregnancy as a result of a condition called HELPS a rare disorder of pregnancy similar to Preeclampsia. The couple is seeking counseling for the separation and has decided to have a farewell keepsake with a message to the baby they will have to surrender.

A baby boy, Ryan, was delivered about 10 weeks early and welcomed by the Savage’s and then handed over to the genetic parents and siblings the Morells’ family. What a joy and happy homecoming that must be for the Morells, but an empty feeling and loss for the Savage’s.

How could this happen? Should the Morells pay for the medical bills of the Savage’s? Could this mother have jeopardized her health as a result of this mixed up pregnancy? How can one be sure that this would not happen again?

Well, this has happened before this incident. In 2001, Susan Buchweitz of Campbell California discovered that her fertility clinic had implanted embryos belonging to another couple in her and the biological parents wanted custody of her 10 month old son! Ms. Buchweitz sued the clinic and got a 1 million dollar settlement and today, after a lengthy court battle, the biological parents share custody with Ms. Buchweitz who is now 57 years old.

Obviously, this kind of mistake is extremely costly and painful for both sets of parents. There need to be more in place to prevent these incidents from being repeated. The effects on the siblings who will not have a relationship with their birth sibling,the guilt of the parents who did not enjoy the bonds of the pregnancy process with this child. It wonder what the effect will be on the children born from these mistakes.I wonder how many more persons have been fertilized with the wrong sperm or wrong eggs but were never informed.

There nust be improvements in the labeling, checking and removal of this sensitive human samples. There should be no fertilization without every sample being checked and matched by several clinic professional.

We continue pray for the safety of all our health care facilities that the needs of the people will be met without any undue pain and harm.