For Patients

Reproductive Technology Procedures

Some common treatment procedures for infertility problem are listed below:

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

This technique is used mainly where a woman has no fallopian tubes or if they are blocked. It has also been used in dealing with some types of male infertility and where the cause of infertility is unknown. Eggs are taken from the woman's ovaries when judged to be ripe and before they are released naturally. It is then mixed with sperms in a dish (in vitro) so that fertilization can occur. Once the fertilized egg has started to develop, it is transferred back to the woman's womb. The embryo must implant in the womb for a pregnancy to be established.

Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)

ICSI is a method of gamete micromanipulation where a single sperm is injected into the inner cellular structure of an egg. The resulting embryo will be transferred into woman's womb as in a normal IVF cycle.

Gamete Intra-fallopian Transfer (GIFT)

GIFT is a process by which an egg or eggs is / are transferred with sperm into a woman's fallopian tube so that fertilization can take place in vivo.

Zygote Intra-fallopian Transfer (ZIFT)

ZIFT is a technique by which egg(s) fertilized in vitro are transferred to the fallopian tubes at the pronuclear stage so as to implant the zygote(s) in the uterus for it to develop into a foetus under the natural environment.

Pronuclear Stage Tubal Transfer (PROST)

PROST is a technique similar to ZIFT by which eggs fertilized in vitro are transferred to the fallopian tube before cell division occurs.

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)

IUI involves the placement of sperm (usually after processing) into the uterine cavity.