(a) Egg from the receiver/donor (female) and sperms from the receiver/donor (male) are collected and induced to form a zygote, in simulated conditions in the laboratory, the zygote/early embryos (up to 8 blastomeres) then transferred into the fallopian tube (ZIFT), and embryos with more than 8 blastomeres, into the uterus (IUT) to complete its further development.
Different steps of IVF :
(1) Medication : The woman is given injection hormones to stimulate healthy egg development. IVF helps her produce more eggs than we would in a normal month.
(2) Harvest the Eggs : Eggs are then collected from the ovaries via a minor surgery during which the woman is sedated and the eggs are retrieved trans-vaginally on the same day, sperm is collected from the male partner.
(3) Fertilization : The egg and sperm are then combined in a lab through varying technologies of fertilization, such as intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
(4) Embryo Culture : ‘‘The embryologists will observe the embryos as they divide from two cells to four cells and then eight cells.
(5) Embryo Transfer : During an embryo transfer, a woman’s uterus is watched by ultrasound and a small catheter is placed into the uterine cavity through the cervix. The embryo(s) are then placed in the uterus. Ten days later, the woman returns to the clinic for a blood test to determine if she’s pregnant.
(b) No, GIFT cannot be considered as an IVF technique because fertilisation takes place in the female body in-vivo process.