Assisted Reproductive Technology, or ART, has played a big role in helping many couples have children who had previously been unable to conceive.
There are several types of Assisted Reproductive Technology procedures used in treating infertility.
Assisted Reproductive Technology works by removing eggs from a woman’s body. The eggs are subsequently mixed with male sperm to make embryos. Then the embryos are placed back into the woman’s body.
How Often is Assisted Reproductive Technology Successful?
There are multiple factors that affect the success of Assisted Reproductive Technology. Some of the things that come into play are:
- Age of the couple
- The reason for infertility
- The type of ART
- Whether the egg is fresh or frozen
- Whether the embryo is fresh or frozen
The United States Centers for Disease Prevention collects data about Assisted Reproductive Technology for various fertility clinics. Based on the findings released in the 2006 US Centers for Disease Prevention Report, the average percentage of Assisted Reproductive Technology cycles that led to live births were:
- Women under the age of 35: 39%
- Women aged 35-37: 30%
- Women aged 37-40: 21%
- Women aged 41-42: 11%
As you can see, success of ART lessened according to the progressive ages of the mothers.
The most common complication of Assisted Reproductive Technology is multiple births. Some parents welcome multiple births, but for the ones who don’t; this problem can often be minimized or even prevented.
The Different Types of ART
There are several types of Assisted Reproductive Technology:
IVF: In Vitro Fertilization. Probably the best known of all ART techniques, it refers to fertilization outside the body and is most often used when fallopian tubes are blocked or when a man manufactures too few sperm.
Tubal Embryo Transfer: Also referred to as Zygote Intrafallopian Transfer, or ZIFT. This procedure is rarely done anymore.
Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer: Also known as GIFT. This technique also transfers egg and sperm into the fallopian tube. Like ZIFT, it is seldom performed these days.
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection: Known as ICSI, the procedure is most often used when there are serious problems with the sperm. In this procedure, a single sperm is injected into a mature egg.
Recent research done by the United States Centers for Disease Prevention showed that babies born through Assisted Reproductive Technology are two to four times more likely to have birth defects such as cleft palate.
It should be noted that the risk is very low of birth defects, and that increased birth defects have not been proven to be a result of the technology. The age of the parents may be a factor.
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