Question

Which of the following cannot be considered as assisted reproductive technology?
a. In vitro fertilization
b. Medical termination of pregnancy
c. Gamete intrafallopian transfer
d. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection

Answer 1

Hint: Medical procedures used to treat infertility is primarily addressed as assisted reproductive technology (ART). These procedures may proceed with the use of donor eggs, sperms or frozen embryos that have been kept frozen. Let us know more about ART to find out the correct answer.

Complete answer:
> In vitro fertilization (IVF) - If we look at the etymology, in vitro means “in glass” and thus used to refer to a technique wherein fertilization is achieved outside the body, typically in a test tube. In this process, a woman’s ovulatory process is monitored and stimulated and ovum is removed from the ovary which is then fertilised with the sperm in the laboratory for the purpose of forming an embryo which is then again transferred to the same or another woman’s uterus. The ultimate aim is to establish a successful pregnancy.

> Medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) - It is a birth control technique and as the term itself suggests, it is done to terminate pregnancy with medical assistance and thus is a form of induced abortion. The initial stages of pregnancy can be terminated with the use of medicines but a surgery is required in the later stages otherwise. It can be performed legally upto 20 weeks of pregnancy under various grounds and circumstances.

> Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) - It is a tool under assisted reproductive technology and thus used to treat infertility. In this, the egg is removed from a woman’s ovary and mixed with sperm and is then placed back into the woman’s fallopian tube. This is preferred in instances where infertility is due to sperm dysfunction, or the couple has idiopathic infertility.

> Intracytoplasmic sperm injection(ICSI) - It is also a type of assisted reproductive technology wherein the cytoplasm of an egg is directly injected with a single sperm. The acrosome reaction is skipped in this technique. It is considered as one form of in vitro fertilization.

Hence, the correct answer is option (b).

Note: It is noteworthy to mention that there are several differences between classic IVF and ICSI. The fundamental being is that in ICSI, only a single sperm is needed per oocyte whereas, in IVF, approximately 50,000 to 100,000 sperms are required. This is mainly because in classic IVF, acrosome reaction has to take place.