Assisted reproductive technology (ART) is a term that describes several different methods used to help infertile couples. ART involves removing eggs from a woman's body, mixing them with sperm in the laboratory and putting the embryos back into a woman's body.

Success rates vary and depend on many factors. Some things that affect the success rate of ART include:

• age of the partners
• reason for infertility
• clinic
• type of ART
• if the egg is fresh or frozen
• if the embryo is fresh or frozen

The U.S. Centers for Disease Prevention (CDC) collects success rates on ART for some fertility clinics. According to the 2003 CDC report on ART, the average percentage of ART cycles that led to a healthy baby were as follows:

• 37.3% in women under the age of 35
• 30.2% in women aged 35-37
• 20.2% in women aged 37-40
• 11.0% in women aged 41-42

Common methods of ART include:

• In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a laboratory procedure in which sperm are placed with an unfertilized egg in a Petri dish to achieve fertilization. The embryo is then transferred into the uterus to begin a pregnancy or cryopreserved (frozen) for future use. IVF is the most effective ART. It is often used when a woman's fallopian tubes are blocked or when a man produces too few sperm. Doctors treat the woman with a drug that causes the ovaries to produce multiple eggs. Once mature, the eggs are removed from the woman. They are put in a dish in the lab along with the man's sperm for fertilization. After 3 to 5 days, healthy embryos are implanted in the woman's uterus.
• Zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT) is a technique in which a woman's egg is fertilized outside the body, then implanted in one of her fallopian tubes. This technique is one of the methods used to overcome infertility. First, the egg and the male sperm needed to fertilize it are harvested. Then the egg and the sperm are united in a Petri dish. If all goes well, the sperm fertilizes the egg, and the doctors then implant it in a fallopian tube. From there, nature takes its course, and the egg eventually is deposited by the fallopian tube into the uterus (womb) for development.
• Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) involves transferring eggs and sperm into the woman's fallopian tube. So fertilization occurs in the woman's body. Few practices offer GIFT as an option.
• Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is often used for couples in which there are serious problems with the sperm. Sometimes it is also used for older couples or for those with failed IVF attempts. In ICSI, a single sperm is injected into a mature egg. Then the embryo is transferred to the uterus or fallopian tube.

ART procedures sometimes involve the use of donor eggs (eggs from another woman), donor sperm, or previously frozen embryos. Donor eggs are sometimes used for women who cannot produce eggs. Also, donor eggs or donor sperm is sometimes used when the woman or man has a genetic disease that can be passed on to the baby.

The FertilityPAK™ is where Hometech Therapies stands apart from every other pharmacy of its kind in the county. Hometech has a unique complementary fertility packaging that is customized for each individual patient. Every personalized Hometech FertilityPAK™ contains:

• User-friendly packaging system that provides an all-in-one solution to complete a cycle of fertility treatment
• All the prescribed medications
• Needed ancillaries including syringes, needles, alcohol pads, sharps disposal container, and other necessary supplies
• A customized injection sheet specific to your doctor’s orders
• Detail patient education materials
• Patient respond card
• Frequently asked questions

The Hometech FertilityPAK™ increases patient compliance and decreases medication errors. An inaccurate dosing and administration of your fertility medications can result in an unsuccessful IVF treatment. Our proven customized instructions including personalized injection instructions and needle specification sheet with color images can increase the accuracy of your medication administration significantly.