Gift & Zift - Egg Freezing Procedure - Coastal Fertility
On-Demand Fertility Seminar On-Demand Egg Freezing Seminar

Gamete Intra-Fallope Transfer (GIFT)

GIFT is an ART procedure developed to assist women, particularly those who have normal fallopian tubes, but there is unexplained infertility. In these cases it can be difficult to determine if the sperm and egg ever meet, so this procedure allows for a site where fertilization is most likely to occur.

This technique is similar to IVF with the exception that the harvested eggs are not fertilized. The eggs are mixed with the washed and capacitated sperm and immediately placed directly into the woman’s fallopian tubes through a laparoscope (a long thin catheter), thus the sperm and egg are placed exactly where they would be in natural fertilization. Fertilization then occurs in the woman’s fallopian tubes, after which they move down into the uterus for implantation according to a “normal” timetable.

Zygote Intra-Fallope Transfer (ZIFT)

This procedure is a combination of IVF and GIFT. The eggs are fertilized with washed and capacitated sperm in the laboratory as in the IVF procedure, but then the beginning-stage embryos are placed directly into the patient’s fallopian tubes as in the GIFT procedure. This blending of IVF and GIFT technique offers the advantage of confirming that fertilization has occurred and the eggs can be examined for defects before implantation. This procedure also provides the natural environment of the fallopian tubes for the very early conceptus.