Some women experience difficulty achieving pregnancy through natural methods. If you are one of those women, you may have heard about Assisted Reproductive Technology. These technologies were designed to help women who fail to get pregnant through natural means. Assisted Reproductive Technology may also be used in cases that involve genetic disorders. Assisted Reproductive Technology, or ART, is a broad term that includes surrogacy and other reproductive methods that involve a third person in the progression of pregnancy. Sperm donors and egg donors are also considered as third persons.
Before Any Assisted Reproductive Technology Is Performed
A number of medical tests and investigations are conducted in order to pinpoint the exact cause of infertility in a couple. It is only after the entire investigation is performed and the precise reason for infertility is diagnosed that doctors propose artificial methods to a hopeful couple. There are three possible cases of infertility:
1. Male infertility defects
2. Female infertility defects
3. Unexplained fertility – neither husband nor wife has a defect
Contingent upon each unique situation, one of the several possible Assisted Reproductive Technology procedures can be applied on the couple struggling with infertility.
Over twenty years ago, an experimental procedure called in vitro fertilization (IVF) was carried out. Here, doctors joined together a man’s sperm and a woman’s egg in a glass dish in a laboratory. For the first time in history, conception transpired outside the human body. Nine months later, the first test-tube baby was brought into the world.
Presently, Assisted Reproductive Technology covers not only in vitro fertilization but also other methods that are tailored to each couple’s unique situation. These procedures are typically coupled with more conventional forms of therapy, such as fertility drugs, in order to increase success rates. One-third of Assisted Reproductive Technology cycles results in the birth of a baby.
These Procedures Can Be Very Expensive
Assisted Reproductive Technology is very invasive and not to mention, expensive. Although there are no conclusive studies that indicate long-term health effects on children born using Assisted Reproductive Technology, most doctors generally agree that ART should be reserved as a last resort for having a child.
Some of the main Assisted Reproductive Technology techniques are:
• In vitro fertilization (IVF): This is one of the most common procedures used. Here, the sperm of the male is combined with the female’s eggs in a dish in a laboratory. Once fertilization takes place, it takes three to five days for embryos to develop. They are subsequently placed in the woman’s uterus.
• Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI): In this procedure, the man’s sperm is placed inside the woman’s egg cell with the use of a microscopic needle. The difference with in vitro fertilization is that here, the sperm is placed directly inside the egg while in IVF, the sperm is positioned closer to the outside of the egg, in a dish in a laboratory. Once fertilization occurs, the embryo is then placed in the woman’s uterus.
• Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT): Here, the woman’s eggs are mixed with the man’s sperm in a dish in a laboratory, and then surgically injected into the woman’s fallopian tubes with the use of a fiber-thin tube or a laparoscope. Fertilization occurs outside the woman’s body, and the embryo is implanted naturally. This procedure was once more popular than it is today, but due to significantly higher success rates with IVF, its usage has declined.
• Zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT): As in GIFT, the woman’s eggs are combined with the man’s sperm in a dish in a laboratory, followed by surgical injection into the woman’s fallopian tubes. Similar to IVF, the doctor waits until fertilization takes place before placing the embryos inside the woman’s body. Like GIFT, this procedure is no longer performed as often as it used to be due to its low success rate.
• Donor egg or embryo: If a woman is unable to produce her own eggs, an egg can be donated by another woman, and this is then joined with the man’s sperm and the resulting embryo is implanted in the woman’s uterus. Likewise, this procedure can also be performed with a donated sperm or embryo.
• Surrogacy, or use of a gestational carrier: Another woman carries the couple’s embryo, or a donor embryo, to term and turns the baby over to you after labor.
Can Prove Valuable To Infertile Couples
Although Artificial Reproductive Technology has proven extremely beneficial to people who have experienced infertility problems in the past, it is not without its risks. Complications that commonly arise include pre-term birth, Ovarian Hyper-Stimulation Syndrome, impulsive abortion, multiple gestation and ectopic pregnancy. Children born from ART methods may also face complications after birth. This is why it is required by law for the persons involved to affirm their free consent prior to applying Artificial Reproductive Technology.
