Reproductive Technologies                                                  BACK TO BIOLOGY

Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) - specialized infertility treatments designed to increase
    the number of eggs and/or sperm, or bring them closer together, resulting in improved probability
    of conception not otherwise possible.

    1.    In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) - a procedure that involves retrieving eggs and sperms from the bodies
           of the male and female partners and placing them together in a laboratory dish to enhance
           fertilization.  Fertilized eggs are then transferred several days later into the female partner's uterus
           where implantation and embryo development will hopefully occur as in a normal pregnancy.

    2.    Gamete Intra Fallopian Transfer (GIFT) - procedure that involves ovarian stimulation,
            egg retrieval, and placing a mixture of sperm and eggs directly into a women's fallopian tubes to
            foster fertilization inside the females body.

    3.    Zygote Intrafallopian Transfer (ZIFT) - procedure in which the fertilized egg (zygote) is placed
           directly into a women's fallopian tubes after IVF.

    4.    Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) - insertion of a single sperm into the cytoplasm of an egg
           using a thin glass needle.

    5.    Assisted Hatching - Embryo Micromanipulation - embryo micromanipulation that involves the
            creation of an opening n the outer layer of the embryo.  This helps the normal growing embryo to
            emerge from the covering in order to properly implant in the uterus.

    6.    Surrogacy - when women agrees to carry to term the fetus of another person.

Source: http://ethics.acusd.edu/socialethics/Bioethics/ReproductiveTechnologies/index.htm