If problems with the couple’s infertility remain unclear, or if all the applied treatments fail comes time to consider a decision related to assisted reproductive technology (ART). The complexity of these methods range from simple to high intrauterine insemination manipulation of sperm and eggs. Along with many of these techniques is necessary and hormone therapy to increase the chances of success. Although various definitions have been used, assisted reproductive technology or ART includes all fertility treatments in which both eggs and sperm are manipulated.
The doctor must explain all the details, chances of successful pregnancy and the cost of all procedures.
The types of Assisted Reproductive Technology include:
Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)
Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer (GIFT)
Zygote Intrafallopian Transfer (ZIFT)
Tubal Embryo Transfer (TET)
Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET)
Egg (Oocyte) Freezing
Traditional Surrogacy
Gestational Surrogacy
Assisted Hatching
Assisted Egg Activation
Cytoplasmic Transfer –Presently Not Available
Egg Donation
Embryo Donation
Microsurgical Sperm Aspiration (MESA)
Testicular Sperm Extraction (TESE)
In addition, ART is often categorized according to whether the procedure used a woman’s own eggs (nondonor) or eggs from another woman (donor) and according to whether the embryos used were newly fertilized (fresh) or previously fertilized, frozen, and then thawed (frozen).
In vitro fertilization (IVF)
In surgery, damage or blockage of the fallopian tubes, male infertility or unexplained infertility assistance comes in vitro fertilization (IVF). Medications used to stimulate the ovaries to produce more mature eggs.
The eggs are collected by fine needle inserted into the ovary. This can be done through the vagina or through the laparoscope. In the laboratory, collected eggs are placed along with the man’s sperm. Failing fertilization, a single sperm is injected directly into an egg. This procedure is called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). A few days after fertilization of the eggs, one or more embryos are inserted inside the woman’s uterus.
Intrauterine insemination
If you find a problem with a small quantity of sperm, mild endometriosis, unexplained infertility, lack of cervical mucus or the presence of antisperm antibodies possible solution may be intrauterine (intrauterine) insemination (IUI). Sperm are inserted inside the uterus through a thin catheter through the cervix in.
IUI can be used in conjunction with hormonal stimulation to increase egg production.
Gamete intrafallopian transfer
GIFT is a tool of assisted reproductive technology against infertility. Eggs are removed from a woman’s ovaries, and placed in one of the Fallopian tubes, along with the man’s sperm. The technique, which was pioneered by endocrinologist Ricardo Asch, allows fertilization to take place inside the woman’s uterus.
With the advances in IVF the GIFT procedure is used less as pregnancy rates in IVF tend to be equal or better and do not require laparoscopy when the egg is put back.
Zygote Intrafallopian Transfer
ZIFT is an assisted reproductive procedure similar to in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer, the difference being that the fertilized embryo is transferred into the fallopian tube instead of the uterus. Because the fertilized egg is transferred directly into the tubes, the procedure is also referred to as tubal embryo transfer (TET). This procedure can be more successful than gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) because your physician has a greater chance of insuring that the egg is fertilized. The woman must have healthy tubes for ZIFT to work.
The main difference between ZIFT and GIFT is that ZIFT transfers a fertilized egg directly into the fallopian tubes while GIFT utilizes a mixture of sperm and eggs.
Tubal embryo transfer
The transfer of embryos to the fallopian tubes for purposes of achieving a pregnancy. Embryos may be transferred at the fertilized oocyte (zygote) stage in a ZIFT (Zygote Intrafallopian Transfer) procedure or 24 hours later at the 2- to 6- cell stage in a TET procedure.
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
ICSI is a procedure in which a single sperm is injected directly into an egg, thus sperm and egg interactions involved with normal fertilization are by-passed. ICSI technique is used together with IVF to overcome severe male infertility. ICSI is a micromanipulation technique that was introduced in the early 1990′s and has been successfully applied to the treatment of severe male infertility including suboptimal ejaculate samples, ejaculatory failure, obstructive and nonobstructive causes of azoospermia (complete absence of sperm).
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)
PGD is a step added to an IVF cycle, which enables us to choose which embryos will be implanted into the mother.
Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET)
Frozen embryo transfer is a fertility treatment procedure that was introduced in the 1980s. It allows you to store your embryos in a special freezing chamber until you are ready to try fertility treatments again or if you decide to conceive another child. FET thaws your remaining embryos and then implants them into your uterus.
Egg (Oocyte) Freezing
Human oocyte cryopreservation (egg freezing) is a novel technology in which a woman’s eggs (oocytes) are extracted, frozen and stored.
Assisted Hatching
A micromanipulation technique in which the shell around the egg (the zona pellucida) is opened or thinned to facilitate the embryo hatching process. Human blastocysts must hatch from the zona pellucida by day 6-7 after insemination in order to implant into the uterine wall. The clinical use of assisted hatching followed studies showing that cleaving embryos with a good prognosis produce a compound that thins the outer shell in preparation for hatching. In addition, fertilized embryos with artificial gaps made in their shells were shown to have high rates of implantation. Assisted hatching involves drilling through the zona using an acid solution to partially thin an area of the zona (~50 µm across), and in some cases create a small hole all the way through the zona. Several studies have reported the beneficial effects of assisted hatching in terms of higher pregnancy rates in IVF .
Cytoplasmic Transfer
Cytoplasmic Transfer involves the injection of a small amount of cytoplasm (the viscous semifluid inside an egg), taken from a donor egg, directly into the patient’s eggs. The transferred cytoplasm is thought to contain components missing or abnormally functioning in the recipient egg. The aim of cytoplasmic transfer is to overcome any deficiencies that may exist in the cytoplasm of an egg while retaining the patient’s genetic material