What is a "gamete intra-fallopian transfer" or "GIFT"?

What is a "gamete intra-fallopian transfer" or "GIFT"?

Richard Paulson (Chief, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, USC) gives expert video advice on: How often do assisted reproductive technology treatments produce multiple children?; Are assisted reproductive technology treatments expensive? and more...

Gamete intra-fallopian transfer, which is abbreviated G I F T, or gift, is a modification of the basic in-vitro fertilization technology. Just as with IVF, the ovaries are stimulated and the eggs are collected and they are mixed with sperm. The difference is that with IVF we leave the egg and sperm together in the laboratory, allow fertilization to occur, and then actually let the embryo grow for a couple of days before we put the embryo back in the uterus. In contrast, with GIFT, you take the egg and the sperm, and you put them into the fallopian tube before fertilization has occurred. This has the advantage for some couples who are unhappy about the idea of egg and sperm meeting outside of the woman's body, that they do not have to have this be a part of their fertility treatment. In fact it's possible to introduce the egg and the sperm in such a way in the catheter that they literally do not touch until they are in the woman's body. So, it's a modification that in a sense takes us closer to the ideal of natural conception, in that egg and sperm are meeting in the right place and the right time, which is in the fallopian tube, right after ovulation, rather than spending any number of days in the laboratory.