What are assisted reproductive technology?

How can doctors help patients have babies? This question refers to a process called assisted reproductive technology (ART). ART includes any fertility treatments that use either the woman’s eggs or the man’s sperm. These treatments may include both in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other fertility treatments like intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). About 3% of all babies are born through ART in the United States. This article will look at what ART is and how it works.

ART definition

Assisted Reproductive Technology is any medical technique that helps with the reproductive process. Technologies used in ART include intracytoplasmic sperm injection, intrafallopian zygote transfer, embryo cryopreservation, and preimplantation genetic diagnosis. It is a wonderful alternative for those struggling with infertility or other issues that can prevent them from getting pregnant. ART can help them have the family they have been dreaming of!

Types of ART

There are many different types of ART available:

1) IVF

Infertility can cause significant emotional stress. Typically, infertility is identified through trying to conceive for six months to a year without success. The physical and emotional distress caused by a lack of pregnancy attempts may include the following:

• Decreased libido.
• Insomnia.
• Self-consciousness around ovulation (when people are fertile).
• Angry outbursts at people who have children or are pregnant bellies.

Professionals recommend several solutions tailored to one’s individual needs and lifestyles, such as alternative remedies, prescription drugs, and surgery. For example, assisted reproductive technology may be an option for some women with fertility problems who have had all other treatments fail. This type of medical procedure could improve the chances of future pregnancies.

2) Intrafallopian transfer

Intrafallopian transfer (IUI) is the simplest and most commonly used infertility treatment. Doctors inject small sperm into an egg removed from a woman’s ovary. The fertilized egg may then be inserted back into the uterus, or fertilized eggs may be frozen for future use. Sometimes hormones and in vitro fertilization (IVF) drugs can also be administered during IUI to increase the chances of pregnancy.

As with other infertility treatments, it takes about three months for an IUI cycle to come to fruition – if it does at all. Generally, only couples with moderate fertility problems will choose this procedure. But even when it works, it only lowers the chances of conception by about 10 percent.

IUI types include:

• Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT):

GIFT was developed in the early 1980s to help people who have male infertility. The recipient of the sperm collects her eggs and lets them mature in a lab. She will then have surgery with a scope inserted through her cervix. This scope is used to pass the sperm into an ovary containing eggs, which moves them into her fallopian tubes.

• Zygote Intrafallopian Transfer (ZIFT):

Zygote Intrafallopian Transfer is a way to help women who have unexplained infertility. As the name suggests, it involves moving a zygote, or fertilized egg cell, into a woman’s fallopian tube in hopes that the tube will provide an environment more hospitable for its growth. The technique was developed as an alternative to artificial insemination because it’s an easier and less invasive surgery for patients.

• Pronuclear stage tubal transfer (PROST):

This type of procedure, in which a woman’s eggs are fertilized by her partner’s sperm outside the body, is performed with a small plastic tube (catheter) inserted through the cervix. The fertilized egg is then transferred back into the uterus to result in pregnancy. This procedure has higher risks than standard IVF procedures and is typically used when no sperm sample can be retrieved from the male partner.

3) Frozen embryo transfer

Frozen embryo transfer or FET is a fertility treatment that involves using embryos from a frozen cycle to become pregnant. During a woman’s normal ovulation cycle, her doctor retrieves eggs from the ovaries and removes any developing embryos for freezing. These frozen embryos can be thawed and transferred into the uterus up to two weeks after the original egg retrieval. Studies show that babies born from this procedure have higher birth weights and may have fewer issues in infancy, such as crying, colic, fussiness, and overall irritability.

4) Intracytoplasmic sperm injection

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is assisted reproductive technology (ART) that injects a single sperm directly into an egg. ICSI is typically only used when semen analysis reveals that the male partner has a lower-than-normal sperm count or for reasons of infertility. In the past, if men were diagnosed with low sperm count or infertility, the couple would be advised to undergo artificial insemination with donor sperm to reproduce. However, ICSI can now be used as an alternative procedure in many cases.

Preparation for an ART treatment

Before ART treatment starts, both partners will have a physical exam, semen and blood tests, and screening for sexually transmitted diseases. These procedures aim to assess the risk factors and develop a more comprehensive medical history of the individual. This exam will also provide information about any existing medical conditions that may increase the risk of complications in pregnancy. In addition, female partners may be recommended for imaging scans to assess the quality of the uterus lining and possible abnormalities in the pelvis that could impact fertility, such as fibroids or polyps on the uterus. 

After determining how many eggs should be collected from one cycle, keeping track of ovulation cycles through daily temperature measurements, saliva tests, or urine test strips every morning when you first wake up is important.

Ethics

Technological advancements in the medical industry have given couples who couldn’t conceive a second chance at parenting. Assisted Reproductive Technology, or ART, encompasses any fertility treatment that relies on an outside third party. One such example is a more traditional procedure called in vitro fertilization.

In vitro fertilization entails removing one of the woman’s eggs from her ovaries and letting it mature in a lab. After this process, sperm from the male partner will be added to allow for fertilization. The egg is then transferred back into the woman’s uterus for implantation, and eventual birth occurs about 40 weeks later. One of its main advantages is that it does not rely on female sexual intercourse for conception, which can help some women get pregnant without sex as desired.

Summary

Assisted Reproductive Technology is any medical intervention involved in the conception of a child other than sexual intercourse. This includes artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), and implantation of eggs from another woman with those from the mother to have a successful pregnancy. These techniques help people who are infertile or without a male partner to become pregnant.

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