ART Assisted Reproductive Technology (or Technique), commonly called ART, refers to any infertility treatment that uses advanced technology to combine sperm and eggs outside the body in a laboratory. Most couples go through extensive infertility evaluation before considering ART. Some infertile couples will choose to use lower-technology treatments, such as intrauterine insemination (IUI), before turning to ART. Others find that their chances at getting pregnant are optimal with ART. It's estimated that about one-third of infertile couples in the United States are good candidates for infertility treatment using ART. | |||
IVFIn vitro fertilization (IVF) is a method of infertility treatment in which specialists combine the sperm and the egg (oocyte) in a laboratory dish for fertilization to occur. A doctor then transfers the resulting embryo(s) to the uterus to develop naturally. IVF treatment offers the highest rate of success out of all the treatment options for infertility. It is also the most complex fertility treatment. Read more... | |||
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Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is a laboratory procedure developed to help infertile couples undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) due to male factor infertility. In ICSI, a lab specialist uses a tiny needle under a microscope to inject a single sperm cell directly into the cytoplasm of a mature egg (oocyte). The process increases the likelihood of fertilization when there are abnormalities in the number, quality, or function of the sperm.
The freezing of eggs, also called human oocyte cryopreservation, is a rapidly advancing technology of extracting, freezing and storing a woman’s eggs (oocytes). The eggs can later be thawed, fertilized, and transferred to the uterus as embryos months or years later.
