| Section 2 - Understanding Kallmann's Syndrome | Next Question |
| 8. | How good are my chances of becoming a parent ? |
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If you do not seek specialised fertility treatment, your chances are virtually nil. With fertility treatment however, your chances increase considerably. The success rate of this type of treatment is relatively high when compared to other forms of fertility treatment currently on offer to childless couples, but this depends on a number of different factors Later, in the answer to Question 24, you will see what types of treatment are available but here we concentrate on those factors which may influence the fertility success rate.
You may have had at one time in your life, like many other males (not necessarily with Kallmann's syndrome), a condition called cryptorchidism, roughly translated as "concealed testes". During pregnancy, every unborn boy's testes are actually located in the area of his abdomen, but before birth, the testes are encouraged to descend into the scrotum where they remain for the rest of his life.
If you were, or still are cryptorchid, then one or both of your testes failed to descend into your scrotum, so that the testes remain "concealed". If you have never had a special operation called an orchidopexy to bring your testes down surgically and you seek fertility treatment, your chances are very slim. If you did have an orchidopexy before the age of 2 to 6 years, then your chances of later becoming a father are improved. If, however, you did not have an orchidopexy until you were an adult or not at all, fertility is unlikely. This is because the testes remain in the abdomen and possibly due to the temperature in the abdomen being higher than in the scrotum, the testes become irreversibly damaged.
Therefore, if you have never been cryptorchid, there is a fair chance that your fertility treatment will prove successful.
As a woman with Kallmann's syndrome, your chances of becoming pregnant with specialised fertility treatment are excellent. One of the most effective forms of treatment is with GnRH pulsatile therapy and tests have shown that more than 90% of women with Kallmann's syndrome become pregnant within six months of starting this treatment.
Fertility treatment can be costly, sometimes running into the thousands of pounds a year. Fortunately however, at present many GPs are prepared to fund fertility treatment for Kallmann's syndrome sufferers. This may be because the success rates are relatively high and the course of treatment is fairly brief, rarely longer than 18 months' duration. Kallmann's syndrome is a relatively rare and unusual disease and your GP will probably be keen to help you, especially when its diagnosis has already been made. Since you need hormone replacement therapy anyway in order to maintain the physical changes to your body experienced during artificially-induced "puberty", your GP will hopefully see fertility treatment as the next logical step |
