MyFertilityGuide

The first in vitro fertilization in America to successfully produce an infant occurred in 1983, according to the Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since then, the percentage of births originating from assisted reproductive technology (ART) has grown in the United States, with as many as 1 percent of American infants born in 2004—49,458 newborns—conceived via ARTs.

What Are Assisted Reproductive Technologies?

Assisted reproductive technologies are treatments which assist infertile couples in reproducing pharmaceutically or through hands-on manipulation or “micromanipulation” of eggs or embryos or both in a sterile facility by a physician.

What Assisted Reproductive Technologies are Currently Available?

The most common assisted reproductive technology is in vitro fertilization (IVF). In this process, a doctor surgically removes a woman’s eggs from her ovaries and combines them with sperm in the laboratory. If fertilization occurs, the doctor replaces the embryo into the woman’s uterus. Depending upon the medical issue causing infertility, the fertilized egg will be transferred to the woman’s fallopian tube or uterus during a specific stage of development. These processes are known as:

• Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT)
• Tubal embryo transfer (TET)
• Zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT)

Another procedure does not involve micromanipulation of the eggs at all. Instead, insemination is performed by a doctor in which he or she places the sperm into the uterus or cervix by a doctor. If the doctor washes the sperm first, the process is called intrauterine insemination or ISI.

Other procedures in which micromanipulation of eggs or embryos are not a factor include:

• Electroejaculation (EEJ) – Sperm ejaculation occurs when tissue near the prostate is electrically stimulated.
• Ovulation Induction (Also Enhanced Follicular Recruitment or Controlled Ovarian Hyperstimulation - Ovulation drugs are prescribed that stimulate the produce of multiple eggs.

How Is An Assisted Reproductive Technology Chosen?

Each individual is different; the medical issue or cause of infertility is addressed in the treatment chosen. For example, problems ovulating may be treated by ovulation-inducing drugs before more invasive and expensive procedures are attempted. The decision is one made by the treating physician and the hopeful parents in accordance with the couple’s wishes, comfort level and financial constraints as well as the health of the infertile patient. A full understanding of each option and the likelihood of success are explored extensively. Agencies such as the American Society of Reproductive Medicine are prepared to assist couples as they explore their options and undergo treatment.