Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) is an umbrella term for treatments to treat infertility. This is used to refer to several procedures including IVF, embryo, sperm, or egg cryopreservation, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, or other fertility procedures.
These reproductive techniques cater to both male and female infertility factors. Hopeful couples who wish to bear children but are unable to naturally conceive can look to ART methods. But even young adults who have no concrete plans of starting a family can still look for treatments that can preserve their options in the future.
As the leading fertility clinic in Davao that offers ART procedures, we’ve prepared a list of what these services can do for patients who wish to be parents today, who want to be parents tomorrow, who are about to undergo chemotherapy or those who want the option to wait it out a bit longer.
In Vitro Fertilization
IVF is probably the first thing that comes to mind when talking about Assisted Reproductive Technology. IVF is a series of fertility procedures where a man’s sperm and a woman’s eggs are combined outside of the body, in a petri dish in a lab.
One of the important stages of IVF is egg retrieval, where a large needle is inserted through the wall of the woman’s vagina to collect eggs from her ovaries. The practitioner uses ultrasound as a guide for retrieval.
Couples who find it difficult to conceive naturally—especially those who are over 35 years old, men with sperm defects, women with reproductive defects such as endometriosis and polycystic ovaries—may look into IVF.
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection
This procedure involves injecting the sperm directly into the eggs that were harvested. If fertilization is achieved through ICSI, the embryos (fertilized eggs) will undergo another process called embryo transfer.
ICSI is an ideal procedure for men with oligospermia or low sperm count, poor sperm shape, have a history of failed fertilization, or have had their sperm frozen.
Embryo Transfer and Frozen Embryo Transfer
When the egg is fertilized through ICSI, these embryos are transferred to the woman’s uterus. If there are more than one successful fertilization from the previous steps in IVF, the embryos may or may not be directly implanted at the same time in the woman’s uterus.
For embryos that might not be used right away, they can be stored in a process called embryo freezing. Then when the time comes the couple may decide to try another cycle of IVF, they may use these embryos—a process called frozen embryo transfer.
Couples who have failed to achieve a successful pregnancy or even couples who have previously undergone IVF and want another child can use this method.
Egg Freezing
Egg freezing is the process of cryopreserving a woman’s eggs for later use.
Younger women have eggs that are viable for fertilization, and the chances of pregnancy decrease as they get older. Not all womenmay wish to start a family while they are young.
This is why egg freezing is a great procedure for women looking to preserve the eggs they have now. It let’s them have the option to use them in the future when they are ready to start a family. It’s also a viable option for patients who are about to undergo chemotherapy.
Sperm Freezing
This is the process of cryopreserving a man’s sperm samples for later use.
The quality of sperm also declines as a man gets older. The sperm may have weak morphology (shape), motility (movement), or may decline in the count. Younger men have more viable sperm for fertilization. For those who are in no hurry to become parents, they may opt for sperm freezing.
Choose IVF Davao
Assisted Reproductive Technology has come a long way and has provided an opportunity for countless people around the world to become parents.
Luckily, these procedures are no longer out of reach for Dabawenyos and Mindanawons. There are now assisted reproductive techniques including fertility counseling in Davao with IVF Davao.
Set an appointment with our specialists today to explore your options.