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Zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT) is an infertility treatment in which egg cells are removed from a woman's ovaries, fertilized in the laboratory and after fertilization, as zygotes placed into the fallopian tubes by the use of laparoscopy. The procedure is a spin-off of the GIFT procedure.
It takes, on average, four to six weeks to complete a cycle of ZIFT. First, the woman must take a fertility medication to stimulate egg production in the ovaries. The doctor will monitor the growth of the ovarian follicles, and once they are mature, the woman will be injected with human chorionic gonadotropins (hCG). The eggs will be harvested approximately 36 hours later, usally by guidance of transvaginal ultrasound. After fertilization in the laboratory the resulting early embryos or zygotes are placed into the woman's fallopian tubes using a laparoscope. The need for two interventions and the fact that IVF results are equal or better (in 2004) leaves few if any indications for this intervention.
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