• Artificial insemination (AI)
• In Vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET)
• Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)
• Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT)
• Zygote intrafallopian tube transfer (ZIFT)

Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT)

Here the egg and the sperm are placed in the fallopian tube. Eggs are retrieved under ultrasound guidance and evaluated. A semen sample is collected two hours prior. The best eggs and the sperms are mixed and transferred into the distal end of the fallopian tube by ultrasound-guided transcervical tubal transfer. Other alternative methods are hysteroscopic tubal cannulation with transfer, and falloposcopic transfer of gametes. The process of fertilization and transport down the tube into the uterus is allowed to proceed naturally.

As a logical alternative, the zygote (fertilized egg before division) is placed in the fallopian tube after uniting the sperm and the egg in vitro. This technique is called Zygote intrafallopian tube transfer (ZIFT).

Semen Intrafallopian transfer (SIFT)

BACC pioneered this ART technique in India. The center adopts a simplified cost-effective technique called the translaparoscopic semen intrafallopian transfer. Here prepared semen is directly introduced via the laparoscope into one or both the fallopian tubes, in time with ovulation. It eliminates the use of expensive equipment required for IVF or GIFT.

Blastocyst transfer

The blastocyst is a fertilized egg, which has undergone divisions. In this technique the fertilization of the ovum or the egg and the sperm is undertaken under optimal conditions in the laboratory. When the blastocyst stage is reached it is transferred into the uterus. This procedure is indicated in older women and those with previous ART failures

Donor programs

The donor identity is kept in strict confidence at the ART center and never revealed to the couple. Only a description and the medical history of the donor may be provided.

Embryology

This division was set up with a view to improve success rates in assisted reproduction techniques, by selecting the best embryos for implantation inside the uterus. Embryo freezing, a means of preserving embryos with no loss to their structural or functional integrity is also undertaken at BACC. The purpose of this is to utilize the embryos at a later date, in cases of failed fertilization by ART, thereby reducing cost to the patient.

Fetal therapy

Procedures are performed on the fetus with the intent to give it the optimal in utero milieu to develop and grow. The indications are Rhesus incompatibility, multifetal pregnancy and oligohydramnios.

Rhesus incompatibility - The fetus is severely handicapped due to a mismatch in the blood groups of the mother and the fetus. A suitable blood type is injected under ultrasound guidance into the fetal peritoneal cavity or into the umbilical circulation of the fetus.

Multifetal pregnancy where there is a space constraint in the uterus for normal growth of the fetuses. Selective reduction is undertaken to leave behind only two fetuses. This is performed in the first trimester of pregnancy. Selective reduction is also an option for selectively terminating a fetus with a genetic defect.

Oligohydramnios - The amount of fluid in the amniotic cavity is decreased to the extent that the intrauterine environment becomes unfavorable to the fetus. Normal saline is instilled into the uterine cavity transabdominally.