by Maggie Wilson

Created on: June 29, 2008

Fact Sheet - Understanding Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)

Assisted Reproductive Technology is the term given to artificial methods of achieving pregnancy when the individual has experienced the inability to conceive naturally.
In vitro fertilisation can be performed with the egg and the sperm of the couple having the treatment. They are fertilised in a test tube, hence the term test tube baby. The fertilisation thus occurs outside the woman's body. The laws are beginning to take shape that limit the number of embryo's that can be implanted. In UK the maximum number of embryo's implanted at one time is two. This is due to the incidences of multiple births, producing quin's and sextuplets when all of 5/6 implanted embryo's were successful.

This procedure can be carried out using either egg or sperm retrieved from a donor.
The egg will be retrieved from the donor and implanted in the recipient. They are fertilised in the lab with the sperm of the partner and implanted in the woman's uterus (intrauterine) or cervix (intracervical) using natural means rather than natural methods. This is referred to as Artificial Insemination. Artificial Insemination by donor is used in situations where the woman doesn't have a partner with functional sperm, or has no partner. A sperm donor supplies the sperm.
Similarly, the procedure could be achieved with the use of donor sperm. This would be inserted into the woman under surgical conditions at the appropriate stage in her menstrual cycle to achieve conception.
In gamete intrafallopian transfer - a mixture of sperm and eggs is placed directly into a woman's fallopian tubes using laparoscopy following a transvaginal ovum retrieval.
There are also drug therapies used to assist conception, such as Clomid. There is an increased incidence of multiple births using this fertility medication.
A fertilized embryo can be frozen (cryopreserved). The later insertion in the body is by the technique known as Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET).
Cost - USA - Not everyone in the U.S. has insurance coverage for fertility investigations and treatments. Many states are starting to mandate coverage, and the rate of utilization is 277% higher in states with complete coverage.
There are some health insurance companies that cover diagnosis of infertility but frequently once diagnosed will not cover any treatment costs.
IVF cycle ~ $10,000 -30,000
Use of a surrogate mother to carry the child - dependent on arrangements
UK - In the UK all patients have the right to preliminary testing, provided free of charge by the National Health Service. However, treatment is not widely available on the NHS and there can be long waiting lists. Many patients therefore pay for immediate treatment within the NHS or seek help from private clinics. This treatment can be very costly . Each cycle of treatment costs several thousand pounds, with no guarantee of success.

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