Introduction to Assisted Reproductive Technology

Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) is the abbreviation of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), which refers to the technology of using medical assistance to make infertile couples pregnant, including Artificial Insemination (AI) and In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer (IVF-ET) and their derivatives. Fertilization and Embryo Transfer (IVF-ET) and its derivatives. In vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) and its derivative techniques are used to produce babies. Its derivative technologies include: intracytoplasmic single sperm microinjection (ICSI), pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), egg donation IVF-ET, assisted hatching technology, embryo and gamete freezing technology, etc. Zili Lu, Assisted Reproduction Center, Urumqi Maternal and Child Health Hospital Since the birth of the world’s first “test tube baby” in 1978, human assisted reproduction technology, marked by “in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer”, has opened up a new era of reproductive medicine and In the past 30 years, reproductive medicine has become one of the most active and rapidly developing disciplines in the field of medicine, characterized by the cross-fertilization of various traditional disciplines and new modern biological techniques, which is not only inseparable from obstetrics and gynecology, urology, endocrinology, physiology, embryology, genetics, cellular and molecular biology techniques, but also involves social, psychological, ethical, religious, and people’s perceptions of modern lifestyles and health patterns. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) assessment, about 1 in 7 couples have reproductive disorders. In a recent survey in China, the number of infertility cases in the country accounted for 10% of married couples, more than double the 4.8% surveyed in 1984, and the incidence is on the rise. The direct effect of ART is to enable infertile couples to realize their desire to have children, and the related problems caused by infertility will naturally be solved. According to clinical statistics, about 20% of infertile couples are unable to have children without the use of ART. In recent years, the incidence; is still on the rise due to environmental pollution, lifestyle changes, poor sexual history, and improper abortions. Assisted human reproduction and sperm banking is one of the most effective means of treating infertility. In some European countries, the offspring born through assisted reproduction techniques and sperm banking techniques have accounted for more than 1% of the total annual births. Since the birth of the first IVF case in China in 1988, China’s reproductive medicine has seen unprecedented development, and the technology has been perfected and accepted by the majority of infertility patients. After years of development, IVF technology has evolved from the first generation of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer to the second generation of single sperm cytoplasm injection and the third generation of pre-implantation diagnosis. In many aspects of technology and research, it has caught up with or approached the level of developed countries, solving many fertility problems for the majority of infertility patients in China, enabling many infertile couples to enjoy the joy of family life, and also contributing to social harmony and stability. Reproductive medicine centers are springing up, and more than 200 health care institutions in China have been approved to provide the corresponding clinical services. This technology has become a boon to infertility patients and their families. Robert G. Edwards, Professor at the University of Cambridge, is a British physiologist and is considered the “father of IVF”. From 1956 to 1978, he conducted research in reproductive physiology and succeeded in making the world’s first in vitro fertilization baby; he is the sole recipient of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the creation of the in vitro fertilization technique. This is the highest honor and recognition given to assisted human reproduction technology in the world. It is also a great inspiration for centers and technicians involved in assisted reproductive technology worldwide.