Author:
Amaral Sandra,Escada-Rebelo Sara,Cristo Maria I.,Ramalho-Santos João,Amaral Sara Varela,Silva Andreia F.
Abstract
While many of the organs in our bodies are similar in men and women, the reproductive organs differ. The male and female sex cells, called gametes, differ too: sperm in the male and oocytes in the female. Male and female gametes must come together to make a baby. This amazing capacity to create a new life is called reproduction. The process of reproduction is quite complicated, and sometimes things can go wrong, preventing a couple from having a child—a condition called infertility. In this article, we explain how the reproductive cells normally meet and some of the problems that can happen along the way, resulting in infertility. We will also explain how some causes of infertility are treatable and we will describe several medical techniques that have been developed to help infertile couples to have babies.
Subject
General Materials Science