GIFT can also be classified as a four step process. This form of assisted reproduction involves the same first and seconds step as in vitro fertilization, specifically, super-ovulation and ultrasound monitoring of the follicles and lining of the uterus.
The third and fourth steps of a GIFT procedure, however, occur in the operating room of a hospital. Under general anesthesia, the eggs are again retrieved using an ultrasound-guided aspiration of the follicles on the ovaries. Sperm is collected or thawed and prepared and the eggs and sperm are then placed together in a small tube or catheter.
In step four a laparoscopy is performed. With laparoscopy, a small incision is made just beneath the navel and an instrument containing a small camera is inserted into the pelvic area. The fallopian tube is then grasped with a special instrument and the catheter containing the eggs and sperm are threaded into the fallopian tube. The eggs and sperm are then injected into the fallopian tube where fertilization takes place.
The goal of GIFT is to circumvent any physical barriers that would interfere with the normal egg and sperm function. These include adhesions, endometriosis, and immunological problems. Although this procedure places the egg and sperm together in the fallopian tube where fertilization takes place, it does not guarantee that fertilization will occur. Any eggs that are not used during the GIFT procedure can be taken back to the laboratory for in vitro fertilization, placed in an incubator and observed. If normal fertilization takes place, the embryos can be frozen for future use.
The national delivery rates for women who undergo GIFT and have no male factor contributing to infertility are as follows:
Under age 35………35% per gamete transfer
Ages 35-37………31% per gamete transfer
Ages 38-40………30% per gamete transfer
Over 40……….9% per gamete transfer
(SART, 1998)
Viruses and Infertility
PCOS
Inflammation Release
Unexplained Infertility
