Technology and reproduction

Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)

The term ART is used in different contexts but should cover induction of ovulation, sperm preparation, intrauterine insemination, IVF, ICSI, GIF.

"IN VITRO FERTILISATION (IVF)

This type of treatment, the first to be introduced in 1978 still remains as the mainstay of ART today. The object of IVF is to add sperm to eggs in the laboratory (instead of the Fallopian tube) in situations where the normal pathway via the Fallopian tubes is damaged or absent, or sperm is not functioning normally. The process of IVF requires a significant time contribution and is emotionally stressful. When performed for the correct reasons, it offers a pregnancy (success) rate of approximately 30-50% percent per single attempt. Units specializing in ART undertake this type of treatment.

INTRACYTOPLAMIC SPERM INJECTION (ICSI)

ICSI represents one of the major advances in human reproduction and ART that occurred in the 90's. It differs from IVF by what happens once the eggs and sperm reaches the laboratory. Essentially a single moving sperm is injected into a single mature egg. Thus the couple requires very few sperm for this type of therapy. ICSI has opened up treatment to a whole new group of patients in whom classical IVF was unsuccessful. This includes males with very low sperm counts (< 5 million / ml), males with anti sperm antibody problems, couples who have had failed fertilisation at IVF. Once embryos are formed, embryo transfer is identical to IVF.

GAMETE INTRAFALLOPIAN TRANSFER (GIFT)

This procedure developed as an offshoot of the IVF technology in the 1980's. It differs from IVF in that it requires the presence of normal Fallopian tubes. Today because of the high success rates achieved with IVF it is seldom used. The procedure did involve the placing of an egg sperm mixture in the Fallopian tube via laparoscopy.

BLASTOCYST CULTURE 

The embryo is usually replaced at the 2-8 cell stage of development. The blastocyst (multicellular stage with fluid compartment) stage may be reached by prolonging the culture of the embryo in the laboratory for a longer period and if it reaches the blastocyst stage can be transferred to the uterus at that time. This scientific approach helps in selecting the embryo(s) with a greater chance of succeeding. To achieve this degree of development special laboratory conditions are required."

Zygote Intrafallopian Transfer (ZIFT)

ZIFT is an assisted reproductive technology treatment that combines the procedures involved in in vitro fertilisation (IVF) with gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT). During ZIFT, a woman’s eggs are fertilized with her partner’s sperm in the laboratory. Then, once the egg has been fertilized, it is transplanted into the fallopian tubes via laparoscopic surgery. From here, the fertilized egg (or zygote) travels down the fallopian tubes and into the uterus, where, if the process is successful, it is implanted, resulting in pregnancy.
More about ZIFT

Source and more types of ART

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