| The Growth of ART |
Assisted reproductive technologies were established in 1978 with the birth of the first baby, Louise Brown, born as a result of in vitro fertilization (IVF). IVF remains the most commonly used ART procedure. However, ART procedures have progressed from IVF to include several other methods such as gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) and zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT). Contrary to popular belief, most ART procedures are no longer considered investigational or experimental but are established medical treatments for infertility. Almost 16,000 babies were born as a result of ART during the 1980's. In 1993 alone, 8,741 ART deliveries were reported in the United States and Canada.
A wealth of data is available to support the effectiveness of ART. Each year, throughout North America, information about the use and success rates of various ART procedures is collected by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technologies (SART). SART has set up a voluntary registry for all ART clinics to report their data. The results of ART procedures in the United States are then summarized and published. If you are interested in investigating this further, your physician or the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), the umbrella society of which SART is a sub-group, can help you access this information.
The next several web pages will introduce you to the various ART procedures and explain why certain techniques are preferable for specific patient types. The benefits and limitations associated with each of the ART procedures are also discussed.