Definition of Assisted Reproduction

There is talk of reproduction assisted when interventions are carried out in order to put the sex cells in contact, that is, the sperm with the ovum, so that the fertilization process is favored and therefore the development of a new being in those cases in which this process cannot occur in a way natural.

These techniques constitute the treatment in cases of infertility and include various procedures ranging from simple techniques to large procedures complexity carried out in specialized laboratories.

Assisted reproduction is indicated when the pregnancy after at least one year having regular sexual activity without the use of contraception. Your success increases with the number of attempts and decreases with factors such as advanced age and the presence of chronic diseases.

Assisted reproductive techniques

Scheduled intercourse. When the couple is healthy and there are no alterations that warrant a specific treatment, an ultrasound control of the development can be carried out and

maturation of the follicles in order to establish the best date to have sexual intercourse, this technique can even estimate the date when there are more probability to impregnate a boy or a girl. Sometimes the woman can be pretreated with ovulation-inducing drugs with the purpose that several follicles mature simultaneously which increases the probability of the occurrence of the pregnancy.

Artificial insemination. In this case, previously treated sperm are deposited inside the fallopian tubes of the woman when the moment of ovulation is near, a parameter that is established by control ultrasound. This technique is used when there are sperm motility disorders or when fertilization is carried out with semen from a donor.

In vitro fertilization. In this technique, eggs from the mother and sperm from the father are taken and put in contact in laboratory, once the spontaneous fertilization of the ovule is carried out, the embryos are maintained on culture a few days to be subsequently transferred to the uterine cavity, sometimes several eggs are fertilized in order to implant one or two in the uterine cavity and maintain by cryopreservation others that can be used in future inseminations if it were necessary. In this technique, eggs or sperm from a donor can be used.

ICSI. This is the newest assisted reproduction technique, in which a sperm is injected into the egg and once fertilized it is implanted in the uterine cavity. It is reserved for those cases of male infertility due to significant disorders of sperm motility or a production insufficient sperm, it is also indicated when the other techniques have failed.

Topics in Assisted Reproduction