Alternative Methods to Achieve Pregnancy

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Twenty years ago, if you could not get pregnant your options to have a child were limited to adoption. That is not the case today. A brief description of alternative methods to achieve pregnancy follows.

METHOD	WHAT IT DOES
ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION	This allows the couple with a sperm or cervical mucus incompatibility problem to conceive. Either the partner's sperm or donor sperm can be used. This technique also allows a gay female couple to have a baby. The sperm is injected near the woman's cervix or inside the uterus at the time of ovulation.
IN VITRO FERTILIZATION (IVF)	(IVF) began in the late 70's. The first successful baby, Louise Brown, was reported in 1978. Since that time technology has improved greatly. IVF involves removing an egg or eggs from the woman's ovary and fertilizing it or them in a special solution outside of the body using a semen speciman. After the fertilized egg reaches a certain number of cell divisions, it is placed into the uterus. About 25-30% of couples can achieve pregnancy with IVF.
GAMETE INTRAFALLOPIAN TRANSFER (GIFT)	(GIFT) involves removing an egg from the woman's ovary, mixing it with sperm and placing the mixture into the fallopian tube where fertilization will hopefully take place.
ZYGOTE INTRAFALLOPIAN TRANSFER (ZIFT)	(ZIFT) is similar to IVF. The fertilized egg is placed at an earlier stage into the fallopian tube.
DONOR EGG PREGNANCIES	Uses IVF technique. The egg, however, is donated from a woman who will NOT carry the fetus.
SURROGACY	Uses artificial insemination of the father's sperm into a woman who WILL carry the fetus. After birth, the baby is adopted by the couple that contracted for the surrogate mother.

All of these techniques require a specialist in reproductive endocrinology/infertility.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES THAT MAY HELP:

	Donor Insemination
	Ovulation Induction
	National Assn of Surrogate Mothers
	Options National Donor Screening

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Excerpts from: The Family Pregnancy © 1995: MJ Bovo, The Family Pregnancy, Second Edition, currently in production, and Do You Have Any Questions? © 1995: MJ Bovo, are contained within this page. Reprints are not permitted under any circumstances. Please see Terms of Use for full expanation. Violations of the Copyright Code are taken seriously and appropriate action IS TAKEN AGAINST VIOLATERS.