Hi steemians!!!
In this part of the world where I'm from (I'm not sure how it is in other places), conceiving children is seen as a very paramount thing in marriages but sometimes due to various reasons some couples are unable to conceive naturally. The good news is there are other options for such couples and they're classified as ART's.
If I had to define technology, I'd simply say it's the use of knowledge in fields such as science and engineering to invent things/processes that provide solution to various problems.
Technology includes the smallest things like the light bulb you switch on to illuminate a room and big things such as computers and the internet.
In recent times there has been a rapid advancement in the application of technology in biological sciences and medicine. Many devices and processes have been invented with the aim of achieving better results and even accomplishing tasks that were once thought to be impossible.
One of such inventions is the Assisted Reproductive Technology. This is one technology that has always fascinated me right from when I first heard about it. I find it amazing that there is a possibility for even infertile individuals to still produce offsprings. So let's see what this amazing process is really all about;
Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)
It is also known as infertility treatment, it is a technology used to achieve pregnancy with various techniques such as artificial insemination, in-vitro fertilization (IVF) among others.
The technique used depends on the reason of the couple's infertility, if the reason for a couple's infertility is the man's sperm, the approach for their treatment will be quite different from another couple where the reason for infertility has to do with the woman.
The techniques used in ART include ;
Ovulation Induction (OI)
Artificial Insemination (AI)
In-vitro fertilization (IVF)
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)
Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT)
Ovulation induction
This procedure is used in cases where the woman is unable to ovulate or if she's not ovulating regularly. The procedure involves taking medication to stimulate ovulation. This is achieved by the stimulation of the production of the follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), this hormone allows more follicles to be produced. When the follicles are large enough, another hormone medication is administered to release the egg from the follicle. If the couple has intercourse around this period, the chances of conception increases greatly.
Artificial Insemination
This procedure could be used for different cases. It could used if the sperm count of the male partner is low or if the sperm cells are not very motile. It could also be used if the female partner has a condition called endometriosis or receptive cervical mucus.
In this process, the sperm is introduced into the uterus during or before ovulation. In cases where the woman also has irregular cycles, AI could be combined with ovarian induction for better results.
If pregnancy is not achieved after several attempts of AI, the use of other procedures such as IVF or ICSI should be considered.
In-vitro Fertilization (IVF)
This method is used mostly after trying other methods with no sucess probably due to blocked fallopian tubes or if the reason for infertility is not known.
IVF is a process of fertilization that occurs outside the body. It involves the collection of egg from the ovaries and allowing the sperm fertilize it in a liquid in the laboratory. The embryo formed is the transferred into the woman's uterus
In this method, additional techniques are used to ensure it is successful. First, the woman undergoes ovarian hyperstimulation, this allows the production of multiple follicles than would be produced naturally. After these follicles have matured, an injection of human chrionic gonadotropin (hCG) is administered, it is usually referred to as the "trigger shot". The hCG acts as an analogue of luteinising hormone and triggers ovulation. Just before the follicles rupture, the eggs are retrieved from the ovary using a technique called transvaginal oocyte retrieval.
The collected egg is then incubated with the sperm in a culture media for fertilization to occur, the fertilized egg is then transfered to a special growth medium for about 48 hours. After the embryo is formed it is then transfered into the uterus. It could be transfered at day 2 after fertilization or day 5 at the blastocyst stage. More than one embryo could be transferred into the uterus to increase chances of implantation and pregnancy.
The first successful IVF procedure was done in the conception of Louise brown in 1978.
image credits: wikipedia creative commons under cc3 license
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)
This is also an IVF procedure, but it involves the injection of a single sperm cell into the collected egg. It is done in cases where the sperm quality is bad.
This procedure is quite similar to IVF, the difference is in IVF the sperm fertilizes the egg by swimming into the egg, in ICSI however, the sperm is injected into the cytoplasm of the egg. After the fertilization and formation of the embryo, the processes that follow is the same as in that of the IVF.
The first successful ICSI was carried out by Gianpiero Palermo in 1991.
Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT)
This is a natural form of IVF. In this method, the eggs are collected from the ovaries but instead of fertilization occurring in a culture media as in IVF, the egg and the sperm are implanted back into the woman's Fallopian tube allowing the fertilization to occur naturally.
Due to advancement in the IVF procedure, the GIFT method is no longer commonly used. It could be an option in cases where the couple don't want to use IVF due to religious or ethical reasons.
Assisted reproductive technology has had a positive impact in several families, and it continues to be a source of hope for them to also concieve their own cute and adorable bundles of joy and that's definitely what I feel technology should be all about; a solution to problems.
Thank you for reading!!!
Sources
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection
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