| Assisted reproduction |
| Reproductive Health | |
| Tuesday, 13 November 2007 | |
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Reproductive technology has developed due to marital infertility, numerous new methods of assisted reproduction. Although the humane sexuality and reproduction are closely related, the assisted fertilization excludes direct sexual contact. There are several methods of assisted reproduction depending on the cause of sterility. Artificial insemination is the process of direct insertion of sperm into the vagina, uterus or ovary tube, after the hormonal preparation for fertilization. It can be applied in case of insufficient number of spermatozoids of the marital partner. The insemination can be applied with the partner’s spermatozoids (homologous insemination) or with the donor’s spermatozoids, most often obtained from the so called “sperm bank” (heterogonous insemination). In vitro fertilization is the fertilization in the “test tube” is the method of fertilization outside the woman’s body. The ultrasound assisted method uses the mature ovary unit to be combined with already prepared partner’s spermatozoid in the test tube. The developed embryo is at the later stage inserted in the uterus where it grows further. Intracitoplasmatic sperm microinjection is the most modern method of assisted reproduction. Only one single healthy spermatozoid is sufficient, taken from testicles or seminal duct and is directly inserted by microinjection to the cytoplasm of the ovary unit, and in this way, makes the fertilization possible. Substitute mother is a controversial approach and takes place when a woman, for financial remuneration, accepts an offer to get pregnant with the sperm of the partner of an infertile woman and gives birth to a child for the couple. Methods of in vitro fertilization enable the transfer of an embryo developed by the fertilization of an ovary unit and the spermatozoids of one couple into the uterus of the paid substitute mother. |
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