It is possible that you have heard about gamete intrafallopian transfer that is a procedure similar to IVF.
To make the procedure possible, the ovaries of the woman are stimulated to produce more eggs which are later collected and the man also has to offer sperm if there is no donor sperm used.
Information about the GIF procedure
After the egg collection is done, there are two eggs mixed with the sperm. The difference between GIF and IVF is that in this case the gamete is created when the sperm meets the egg and is instantly transferred to the fallopian tubes, so that fertilization itself takes place in the woman’s body.
As a result of the GIF procedure the embryo has its earliest stages of growth in natural surroundings and not in a laboratory dish as in case of IVF.
The truth is that the specialists prefer IVF over GIF because it is less invasive and the quality of the resulted embryos can be controlled.
Who can benefit from gamete intrafallopian transfer?
In the majority of the cases the doctors opt for this procedure if the male patient is faced with low sperm count or the sperm has low motility. In the same time the procedure can also be used in case of couples who suffer from unknown causes of infertility.
The procedure
Just as the name suggests, in case of the GIF procedure the specialists are using the fallopian tubes of the woman as a kind of incubator in which fertilization takes place. Besides this major difference, the process itself is pretty similar to what happens during IVF.
As it has been mentioned before, as part of gamete intrafallopian transfer the woman will receive medication that will support the production of mature eggs. Once these are mature, they are localized with the help of ultrasound and they are removed with a thin needle.
Just after a few minutes as part of the GIF procedure one of these eggs will be fertilized by the sperm of your partner. Once this happens, during a minor surgery, the eggs and sperm are transferred to the fallopian tubes. There is need for a small incision in the abdomen through which the doctor guides a tube.
The gamete intrafallopian transfer makes it possible for natural fertilization to take place. After this you should rest for a while and most probably you will receive progesterone to help the lining of the uterus build up, thus creating the right setting for the growth of the fetus.
How long does it take?
If you are considering the GIF procedure, you should know that the entire treatment lasts for about 6 weeks. In this case the collection of the eggs and the transfer of the egg and sperm happen during the same surgery. The good news is that you can go home on the day you had the surgery.
Success rate
When it comes to gamete intrafallopian transfer, you should know that the outcome depends on the kind of infertility problem that you have and also on your age. Normally younger women have healthy eggs and so the success rate in their case is higher. Depending on the clinic, the success rate is of about 25%-30%.
Advantages
Doctors usually suggest the GIF procedure in case of women who have intact fallopian tubes and if the patient has religious or personal reasons for not wanting to have IVF. The procedure can also be used in case there are some problems with transferring the embryo to the uterus through the cervix and the vagina.
You should also know that gamete intrafallopian transfer has several important disadvantages.
