AQA · GCSE · Combined Science
Course version: 8464 · Version from Sept 2018
The use of hormones to treat infertility (HT only): the success rates are not high
Hormonal treatments and In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) are Higher Tier only concepts where students evaluate medical efficacy.
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
Hormonal treatments and In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) are Higher Tier only concepts where students evaluate medical efficacy. Although administering FSH stimulates multiple eggs to mature and LH stimulates the release of the egg, IVF does not reliably result in pregnancy. Success depends heavily on factors like the patient's age and the cause of infertility. Because each IVF cycle has only a modest chance of resulting in a live birth, overall success rates are low. Patients often require multiple expensive and demanding cycles before achieving a pregnancy. Understanding this limitation is crucial for evaluating fertility treatments, as the low probability of success must be weighed against the significant physical and emotional burdens.
What earns the marks
- IVF involves using FSH to stimulate eggs to mature and LH to stimulate the release of the egg, but fertilisation and implantation are not guaranteed.
- The chance of a live birth per IVF cycle is modest, meaning patients often need to undergo multiple cycles.
- Success rates decline significantly with the mother's age and depend on the specific causes of infertility.
- Low success rates mean treatment can become a prolonged process, increasing the financial and emotional strain.
- Evaluating IVF requires comparing the ultimate benefit of having a baby with the low probability of success in a single cycle.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Claiming that IVF or hormone treatment always results in pregnancy.
Put it right by stating that success rates are low and multiple cycles are often needed.
Stating that success rates are identical for all patients.
Put it right by explaining that age and health factors heavily influence the outcome.
Incorrectly stating that LH stimulates egg maturation.
Put it right by specifying that FSH stimulates eggs to mature, while LH stimulates the release of the egg.
Exam tips
- State clearly that success rates are not high and explain that this often necessitates multiple treatment cycles.
- Use the low success rate as a primary disadvantage when evaluating IVF in Higher Tier extended response questions.
Try the lesson
The start of the The use of hormones to treat infertility (HT only): the success rates are not high lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a widely used fertility treatment, but it has several disadvantages. Which of the following is a major disadvantage of IVF?
Listen
Hormonal treatments and In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) are Higher Tier only concepts where students evaluate medical efficacy. Although administering FSH stimulates multiple eggs to mature and LH stimulates the release of the egg, IVF does not reliably result in pregnancy. Success depends heavily on factors like the patient's age and the cause of infertility. Because each IVF cycle has only a modest chance of resulting in a live birth, overall success rates are low. Patients often require multiple expensive and demanding cycles before achieving a pregnancy. Understanding this limitation is crucial for evaluating fertility treatments, as the low probability of success must be weighed against the significant physical and emotional burdens. A strong answer earns marks for these points. IVF involves using FSH to stimulate eggs to mature and LH to stimulate the release of the egg, but fertilisation and implantation are not guaranteed. The chance of a live birth per IVF cycle is modest, meaning patients often need to undergo multiple cycles. Success rates decline significantly with the mother's age and depend on the specific causes of infertility. Low success rates mean treatment can become a prolonged process, increasing the financial and emotional strain. A common slip: Claiming that IVF or hormone treatment always results in pregnancy. Instead, stating that success rates are low and multiple cycles are often needed. Exam tip: State clearly that success rates are not high and explain that this often necessitates multiple treatment cycles.
Key words
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IVF
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Success rates
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Factors affecting success
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Evaluating fertility treatments
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See every definition
- IVF
- A fertility treatment in which FSH stimulates multiple eggs to mature and LH stimulates the release of the egg, but fertilisation and implantation are not guaranteed.
- Success rates
- The overall chance of a live birth, which is not high because each cycle has only a modest chance of resulting in a live birth.
- Factors affecting success
- The patient's age and the cause of infertility, on which success depends heavily and which influence the outcome.
- Evaluating fertility treatments
- Weighing the ultimate benefit of having a baby against the low probability of success in a single cycle and the significant physical and emotional burdens.
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