Assisted Reproduction
Medical techniques used to achieve pregnancy, including IVF, intrauterine insemination, and ovulation induction. Peptide drugs play essential roles: GnRH antagonists prevent premature ovulation, GnRH agonists can trigger final egg maturation, and oxytocin analogue research explores implantation support.
Technical Context
ART encompasses: IVF, ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection — injecting a single sperm directly into the oocyte), frozen embryo transfer (FET — thawing previously cryopreserved embryos for transfer), donor gamete procedures, and gestational surrogacy. Peptide drug involvement: GnRH agonists and antagonists (pituitary suppression — cetrorelix and ganirelix are standard), FSH/LH preparations (not peptide drugs per se but protein hormones for ovarian stimulation), and oxytocin antagonists (atosiban — used in some countries to prevent uterine contractions during embryo transfer, though evidence is mixed). ART success rates: approximately 30-40% live birth rate per cycle for women under 35, declining with age. Multiple pregnancy risk (from transferring >1 embryo) has driven the trend toward single embryo transfer, particularly with improving blastocyst culture and cryopreservation techniques.