GIFT Full Form

Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) is an assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment for infertility. The eggs are extracted from ovaries of women and inserted in one of the Fallopian tubes together with the man’s sperm. The procedure, pioneered by endocrinologist Ricardo Asch and initially explored by Steptoe and Edwards, permits fertilization within a woman’s uterus.

With improvements in IVF, the GIFT method is being done less often since pregnancy rates in IVF are comparable or better and do not need laparoscopy when the egg is placed back.

Method

A GIFT cycle typically takes four to six weeks to complete. The lady must take fertility medication to increase egg production in the ovaries. The ovarian follicles will be monitored for development, and once they mature, the lady will be injected with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). The eggs will be retrieved approximately 36 hours later, combined with the man’s sperm and inserted back into the woman’s Fallopian tubes via laparoscope.

Indications

For GIFT to be practical, a woman must have at least one normal fallopian tube. It is utilized when the reproductive issue is caused by sperm malfunction, and the pair has idiopathic (unknown cause) infertility. Because the fertilization occurs within the body, some people may prefer the treatment over IVF on ethical grounds. This is a treatment that is minimally invasive and requires laparoscopy.

Success rate

As with other reproductive treatments, success is determined by the couple’s age and the quality of the woman’s eggs. It is expected that 25–30% of GIFT cycles result in pregnancy, with a third of them being twins or triplets, and so on. Todd Holden was the first GIFT baby delivered in the United Kingdom in October 1986. Dr. Ricardo Asch conducted the first application of this procedure in Latin America on May 13, 1986, and the therapy was completed with the birth of Manuel Campo Lopez. Luis Hernández, Rosa Helena Hernández, and Luisa Hernández were the first GIFT infants born in Venezuela on June 24, 1987. They were also the first triplets to be born via the GIFT procedure.

Bioethical Issues

GIFT is not technically in vitro fertilization since it occurs within the body rather than on a petri dish. Nonetheless, some Catholic moral theologians are worried about it because they “believe this to be a substitute for the marital act and so wrong.”

Pros of GIFT

• The notion was natural. Conception happens in the fallopian tube, not in the laboratory. This may appeal to you if you want your kid to grow as organically as possible or if you have religious views that prohibit conception outside of the body. On the other hand, natural fertilization has no medical advantages over artificial fertilization.
• There is no relation to cancer. Recent research has shown no link between ovulation-inducing fertility medications and cancer. Previous research revealed that exposure to fertility medicines might increase the risk of ovarian cancer or other tumors of the female reproductive system.

Cons of GIFT

• Expensive and time-consuming. GIFT necessitates costly lab tests, medicines and surgery. Monitoring your reaction to fertility medicines needs a significant amount of time and numerous visits to the office of doctors for blood tests and ultrasounds.
• Surgery is required. Unlike IVF, transferring eggs and sperm to your fallopian tube requires invasive surgery.
• Multiples of odds Because more than one egg is frequently inserted in the fallopian tube, twins or other multiples are more possible. A comprehensive study of GIFT cycles discovered that transferring three or four eggs increased the pregnancy rate for twins or triplets by about 22 percent. Conceiving twins without fertility therapy is less than 1% of the time. Carrying multiples raises the chance of miscarriage and other difficulties, which many couples consider a gift.
• Other potential health hazards As with IVF, taking fertility medicines that encourage numerous follicles to mature increases your chance of ectopic pregnancy or developing ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).
• It might not work. If you have OHSS or not enough follicles grow, the procedure may be canceled.

This procedure became quite popular after its introduction in the mid-1980s since it did not require complex IVF culture systems and could be performed in clinics with less ART competence and without a full IVF laboratory. It also appears to provide better outcomes than IVF, possibly because fertilization happens in a natural setting; higher success rates also result in patients being usually viable except for fallopian tube obstruction.

Conclusion

GIFT methods involve collecting oocytes transabdominal or transvaginally, followed by a microscopic examination of the oocytes’ quality and maturation in a laboratory next to the operation room. Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) is used for infertile women who are ovulating but have blocked oviducts (fallopian tubes) or for infertile couples who want to prevent conception outside the human body for religious reasons.