Assisted reproduction

Assisted reproduction techniques (ART) represents a wide range of treatment options used for management of women or couples diagnosed with infertility. The most widely used option is in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). The two major breakthroughs since inception of IVF treatment are considered to be controlled ovarian stimulation and intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Advances in diagnosis, therapy, intervention and laboratory techniques have resulted in a gradual increase in ART success rates over the years. A typical IVF cycle involves pituitary suppression, superovulation, monitoring ovarian stimulation and oocyte maturation, oocyte retrieval, sperm insemination and fertilisation, embryo transfer, luteal-phase support and confirming outcome of treatment. Pituitary suppression or ‘down-regulation’ is often used to prevent premature release of eggs in an IVF cycle. The aim of superovulation is to achieve multifollicular development to allow harvesting of multiple eggs which are needed for IVF treatment.