Recent advances in female infertility care.

The causes of infertility in the female may be ovulatory dysfunction; tubal, uterine, and cervical factors; endocrinopathies; and unexplained infertility. Recent advances in female infertility care include the use of medications to induce ovulation combined with intrauterine insemination, laparoscopic treatment of ectopic pregnancy and uterine leiomyomata, transcervical balloon tuboplasty, and leuprolide acetate depot treatment for uterine leiomyomata and endometriosis. For in vitro fertilization (IVF) and related procedures, developments include the use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) in IVF, serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels to predict outcomes, oocyte donation, and zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT). Nurses, as coordinators and counselors, play an important role in infertility treatment.