Assisted Reproductive Technologies: I: Medical Alternatives for Women and Their Partners

In vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) was established as a new and viable technology for assisting couples in remediating infertility on July 25, 1978, with the birth of Louise Brown, the first IVF-ET child. During the last decade, reproductive endocrinology has continued to develop the technology of IVF-ET as well as provide additional assisted reproductive technologies (ART) such as zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT) and gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) to enhance reproduction. In the United States alone, the number of women and their partners who have sought treatment of infertility through ART has steadily grown, and thousands of children have been born via ART. This article describes the methods of contemporary reproductive technology, with a focus on the basic method of IVF-ET. Our purpose is to understand this technology and to present an accurate account of success rates in order to lay the groundwork for understanding the impact of ART on those seeking treatment for infertility.