Question

Explain any three methods that can be used to overcome infertility.

Answer 1

The infertile couples could be assisted to have child/children through certain special techniques commonly known as Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART).

1. IVF (In-vitro Fertilization): It is a process of fertilization where an egg is combined with sperm outside the body in a test tube or glass plate to form a zygote under simulated conditions in the laboratory. The zygote or early embryos (with up to 8 blastomeres) could be then transferred into the fallopian tube for further development.
2. ZIFT (Zygote Intrafallopian Transfer):
   ZIFT is an infertility treatment used when there is a blockage in the fallopian tubes which prevents the fertilization of the egg by the sperm. In this method, the egg is removed from the woman’s ovary. Fertilization of the egg with sperms is brought about outside the body under sterile conditions to form a zygote by the process called in vitro fertilization (IVF). The zygote is then transferred to the fallopian tube for further development.
3. GIFT (Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer):
   This method involves the transfer of an ovum collected from a donor into the fallopian tube of another female who can provide a suitable environment for its fertilization and development. GIFT was developed for the cases in which only the entrance to the oviducts or the upper segment of the oviducts in blocked. In this procedure, ova and sperms are directly injected into regions of the oviduct, where fertilization produces a blastocyst, which enters the uterus via the normal route. GIFT has a success rate of about 30 percent.
4. ICSI (Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection):
   ICSI is an in vitro fertilization procedure in which a single sperm cell is injected directly into the cytoplasm of an ovum in the laboratory.
5. Artificial Insemination (AI):
   In some infertility cases, the male partner is unable to inseminate the female due to a very low sperm count. This problem can be solved by artificial insemination. In this technique, the sperms are collected from the male and artificially introduced into the cervix of the female, for the purpose of achieving a pregnancy through in vivo fertilization (inside the body).
6. IUI (Intra Uterine Insemination): IUI resembles the procedure of artificial insemination, the only difference is that the sperms are introduced into the uterine cavity instead of the cervix.