(N/A) Assisted Reproductive Technologies $(ART)$ are specialized medical procedures used to assist infertile couples in having children. Three common techniques are described below:
$1$. $IVF-ET$ ($In$ $vitro$ $fertilisation$ and $Embryo$ $Transfer$): In this method,popularly known as the test-tube baby programme,ova from the wife/donor and sperms from the husband/donor are collected and induced to form a zygote under laboratory conditions. The zygote or early embryos (up to $8$ blastomeres) are transferred into the fallopian tube ($ZIFT$ - $Zygote$ $Intra$ $Fallopian$ $Transfer$),while embryos with more than $8$ blastomeres are transferred into the uterus ($IUT$ - $Intra$ $Uterine$ $Transfer$).
$2$. $GIFT$ ($Gamete$ $Intra$ $Fallopian$ $Transfer$): This technique involves the transfer of an ovum collected from a donor into the fallopian tube of another female who cannot produce an ovum but can provide a suitable environment for fertilization and further development.
$3$. $ICSI$ ($Intra$ $Cytoplasmic$ $Sperm$ $Injection$): This is a specialized laboratory procedure where a single sperm is directly injected into the ovum to form an embryo.