Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) encompasses as all fertility treatments in which either eggs or embryos are handled.

Infertility has been seen as an important health problem by the World Health Organization (WHO). Although infertility is curable, it is still perceived as a taboo in the less developed or developing nations where the woman is blamed, irrespective of her reproductive health thus carrying the blame of the inability to produce a biological child.

Besides the social significance and gaining acceptance in society, there are medical advantages of opting for ART procedures.

In general terms, ART procedures include surgical removal of eggs from a woman’s ovaries, fusing them with sperm in a fertility lab, and then placing them back in the woman’s body or donating them to another woman (surrogate). Intentions of having the eggs retrieved is essential for performing ART procedures. Treatments that focus on handling sperms or procedures that only stimulate egg production in women are not included in ART procedures.

ART procedures open multiple options for childbirth. The couples can either opt for sperm, egg donation or gestational carriers (surrogacy). The eggs can also be cryopreserved for future use. This helps couples who want to delay their pregnancy due to personal reasons. There are increased chances of conceiving a healthier child and fewer chances of facing miscarriages.

This course deals with all recent advances in clinical and laboratory aspects of assisted reproductive therapy (ART). It elaborates on innovations and developments in the field that have the potential to improve ART outcomes.

In these lessons, we also look at the structure, function, and role of low molecular weight ligands of gonadotropins, as well as the ethical and legal aspects of ART.

In this self-study course, you will learn about:

• The Sperm: Parameters and Evaluation
• Insights of Sperm Pathology and Its Association with Infertility
• Ovarian Reserve
• Implantation: Cross Talk of the Developing Embryo and Endometrium
• Proteomics as a Future Tool for Improving IVF Outcome
• Recurrent Pregnancy Loss: Investigations and Interventions
• Bioethics of Assisted Reproductive Technology
• and more…

This study material will a useful resource for students and medical practitioners pursuing clinical embryology.

This course – based on the book ‘Innovations In Assisted Reproduction Technology’ – comes with the courtesy of IntechOpen and is produced here under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0) for the benefit of healthcare professionals.

Academic Editor

Nidhi Sharma
Saveetha University, Chennai, India

Disclaimer : The content in this course is educational in nature and intended solely as general health information. It is not a recommendation for treatment or medical advice. It is not a substitute for advice from a health care provider. If you  as a patient are experiencing a medical emergency, contact your health care provider or an emergency room.