women s health issues
Assisted Reproductive Technologies
Introduction
Assisted reproductive technologies involve working with sperm and eggs or embryos in a laboratory (in vitro) with the goal of producing a pregnancy. (See also Overview of Infertility .) If treatment has not resulted in pregnancy after four to six menstrual cycles, assisted reproductive technologies, such as in vitro fertilization or gamete intrafallopian tube transfer, may be considered. These techniques are more successful in women under age 35. For example, in the United States, in vitro fertilization results in the following: In women under 35: Live births resulted from about 30% of the procedures. In women aged 41 to 42: Live births resulted from only about 11% of the procedures. For women over 42, using eggs from another woman (donor) is recommended. Assisted reproductive technologies may result in more than one fetus but are much less likely to do so than Treatment . If the Risk Factors for Genetic Disorders or Birth Defects is high, the embryo can often be tested before it is implanted in the woman’s uterus. This testing is called An embryo can be tested for genetic abnormalities before it is implanted in the woman. 