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New techniques in assisted reproductive technology

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) have revolutionized reproductive medicine, offering hope to millions facing fertility problems through methods like artificial insemination to cutting-edge gene editing. While established techniques such as in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection are widely used today, emerging technologies such as in vitro gametogenesis, gene therapies, and stem cell-based therapies are expanding the boundaries of what is possible. ART is a rapidly advancing field, but the use of certain novel and emerging technologies in humans is still highly experimental, tightly regulated, and surrounded by ethical and legal challenges. Many innovations in ART…

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Articles of Interest

Assisted reproductive technologies at the nexus of fertility treatment and disease prevention

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) refers to processing gametes in vitro and usually involves in vitro fertilization. Originally developed for the treatment of infertility, culture of human embryos in vitro also provides an opportunity to screen embryos for inherited genetic disorders of the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. Progress in identifying causative genetic variants has massively increased the scope of preimplantation genetic testing in preventing genetic disorders. However, because ART procedures are not without risk of adverse maternal and child outcomes, careful consideration of the balance of risks and benefits is warranted.

Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Techniques

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) encompasses a range of medical procedures used to address infertility and assist individuals and couples in achieving pregnancy. Since the first successful birth from in vitro fertilization (IVF) in 1978, ART has evolved into a highly specialized and rapidly advancing field that integrates reproductive endocrinology, embryology, genetics, and personalized patient care. At its core, ART involves the handling of both eggs and sperm outside the human body to facilitate fertilization. Common techniques include IVF, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), and embryo cryopreservation, with newer advancements such as preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) and time-lapse embryo monitoring further refining outcomes. These technologies offer hope to patients facing a wide range of reproductive concerns, from age-related infertility and male factor issues to genetic disorders and same-sex family planning.

Assisted Reproductive Technology Complications

This is an important review of complications that may arise in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). Although patients who are planning for IVF can be assured that it is a generally safe process, there are medical issues that can occur throughout: during the ovarian stimulation phase, as a result of the oocyte retrieval or embryo transfer, or after a pregnancy is confirmed.

Assisted Reproductive Technology: Expanding Possibilities for Parenthood

The journey to parenthood isn't always straightforward. For millions of couples worldwide, infertility poses a significant challenge to realizing their dreams of starting or expanding a family. Fortunately, modern medicine offers a range of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) that can help overcome various fertility obstacles. From in vitro fertilization (IVF) to intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), these advanced techniques have revolutionized the treatment of infertility, offering hope to those who once had limited options.

At Fertility Clinics, A New Emphasis On Gentle Methods

Harvesting fewer eggs puts less stress on patients; does it cut success rate?

Do IVF And Other Fertility Treatments Lead To Health Risks For The Baby? Maybe

Scherrer and his colleagues followed the health of children conceived through assisted reproductive technology for more than a decade. ART is an umbrella term that covers a number of different types of procedures, including in vitro fertilization, in which sperm and eggs are mixed in a lab dish, and intracytoplasmic sperm injection, in which sperm are inserted directly into eggs. Today, roughly 2 percent of all births in the U.S are conceived via ART. In 2012, the same team of scientists published a major paper showing that 65 healthy kids born with the help of ART were more likely than their peers to have early signs of problematic blood vessels.

Fertility treatment use is on the rise – new legislation could increase protections for donors and families in an industry shrouded in secrecy

Fertility treatments take a number of forms. They may include fertility medication, intrauterine insemination, in vitro fertilization, or the use of donor sperm, eggs or embryos. Expenses for each treatment type vary widely, ranging from roughly $15,000 to $30,000 for a single IVF cycle to about $1,000 for a vial of sperm. Often, multiple tries are needed to achieve a pregnancy, and the costs can add up.

Fertility Treatment’s Storied History and Promising Future

Today, well over a quarter million babies are born each year across the world thanks to in vitro fertilization (IVF) alone. At first the subject of intense controversy and public outcry, these miraculous children once deemed “test tube babies” are now relatively commonplace. And technology is continuously improving to expand our ability to help infertile men, women, and couples achieve parenthood through IVF and other methods. In the grand scheme, it was really not long ago that couples struggled with the heartbreak and devastation of infertility in secret and shame, without much hope to cling to.

How the wellness industry is financially and emotionally exploiting women struggling with fertility

Fertility patients are also confronted with the mind-boggling option of IVF clinic add-ons...

If You’re Struggling to Get Pregnant, You Should Know About These 6 Fertility Tests

The tests women who've gone through multiple failed rounds of IVF wish they'd gotten sooner.

Prognosis: Introducing Misconception

Reality TV stars are freezing their eggs on camera. Lawmakers in DC are debating federal protection for IVF. Hundreds of millions of dollars are being invested in slick startups that market fertility treatments for all. But this rapid growth has revealed cracks in the system. Misconception, a new series from Bloomberg’s Prognosis, follows reporter Kristen V. Brown on her own intimate journey as she uncovers the business of fertility. Along the way, she finds a fractured industry — a profit-driven field of medicine that thrives on dueling messages of hope and fear as people gamble everything for a chance at a baby.

Swimming in the Alphabet Soup of Assisted Fertility

We didn’t know much about our options for conceiving in the beginning; all we knew was that we wanted to be mothers. Don’t get me wrong, we searched the internet to get a basic understanding, but the medical jargon and the acronyms — intrauterine insemination (IUI), in vitro fertilization (I.V.F.), reciprocal I.V.F., hysterosalpingogram (H.S.G.) — threw us for a loop. So, we looked for doctors who would guide us through the process.

The Fertility Gold Rush

A maze of unregulated services, hidden costs and unclear outcomes, fertility is a £320m industry in the UK – and it’s vulnerable women who are paying the price

This Common Infertility Treatment Could Be Dangerous

When in-vitro fertilization attempts are unsuccessful or lead to miscarriage, doctors sometimes prescribe oral or injectable steroids called corticosteroids to increase women's fertility. But according to a new paper in Human Reproduction, these drugs could have some scary side effects. Rather than aiding in IVF, prednisolone and other popular corticosteroids can actually interfere with implantation and cause miscarriage, premature births, and birth defects. Women who take them during their first trimesters are 64 percent more likely to have miscarriages, and their children are three to four times more likely to be born with cleft palates.

Resources

ReproductiveFacts.org

This booklet will help you understand in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproductive technology (ART) that have become accepted medical treatments for infertility. Through these procedures, many couples with otherwise untreatable infertility have given birth to healthy babies.

SART

SART is the primary organization of professionals dedicated to the practice of IVF, or assisted reproductive technology (ART). The organization represents the majority of the ART clinics in the country. The mission of SART is to establish and maintain standards for ART so that you receive the highest possible level of care.