Who Should Consider Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer (GIFT)?

Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) is a surgical fertility treatment with a success rate of approximately one in four. Despite its slightly lower success rate than somewhat similar fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT), there are many women and couples who should consider GIFT.

Women and Couples with Ethical Reservations

If you are considering fertility treatments with some reservations, it's likely because you don't like the idea of human interference in the conception process. You also may not like the idea of how the fertility specialist will select the "best" zygotes (fertilized eggs) most likely to succeed and freeze or possibly even discard the rest of the fertilized eggs.

While gamete intrafallopian transfer involves human intervention, the intervention is minimal. Your fertility specialist will mix the eggs with the sperm, but she will not actually oversee the fertilization of the eggs. Instead, your fertility specialist will immediately implant the gamete (egg/sperm mixture) into your fallopian tubes, leaving the process of fertilization to occur within the body, as it does in natural conception. There is no egg selection or discarding.

Women with No to Few Infertility Issues

Gamete intrafallopian transfer requires that the woman has at least one healthy fallopian tube and generally has only minor (or no) infertility issues. Women with tubal blockage, severe uterus adhesions and tubal damage will not qualify for the procedure. If you're part of a heterosexual couple, before you can choose to undergo GIFT, you should have been trying to get pregnant for a year or more without success. You may decide to try hormonal therapies before surgery.

Couples in Which the Male Has the Infertility Issues

Because GIFT requires that the woman have a mostly healthy reproductive system, GIFT is ideal for couples in which the male experiences the infertility issues, so long as your fertility specialist is able to harvest sperm--even if surgical, hormonal, electrical or medicinal intervention is needed--from your partner. This allows you to conceive as close to naturally as possible, but still receive some human assistance to increase your chances of conceiving successfully.

Women without a Male Partner

Single women and gay women who wish to become impregnated with sperm from a donor may opt for gamete intrafallopian transfer to achieve pregnancy via as close to a natural method as possible when compared to the other alternatives. Both IVF and ZIFT involve fertilization outside of the body and IVF requires that the fertilized eggs be implanted in the uterus, where fertilization does not naturally take place. GIFT allows fertilization within the body and also has the fertilization take place in the fallopian tubes, the place where it usually occurs.

If you think gamete intrafallopian transfer may be the right fertility treatment for you, discuss your candidacy further with your physician or fertility specialist. Although GIFT has several advantages over other treatments, not all women are viable candidates for the procedure.

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