Assisted reproductive technology - what's new and what's important?

Difficulty with conception is a common reason for young couples to present to their primary care physician. Fertility assistance, whether minimal or high level, aims to optimise the chances of having a singleton pregnancy and the birth of a healthy baby. Recent advances in assisted reproductive technology, particularly at a genetic level, have helped us to better understand the causes of infertility, and also to offer techniques that maximise the safety and efficiency of treatment and therefore the chance of a successful outcome.

This article provides an update on available fertility assistance and preservation technologies to help guide the general practitioner's approach to patients presenting with fertility concerns.

Recognition of the significance of a woman's age remains the highest priority for healthcare providers and allows thorough and timely evaluation and development of a management strategy. Despite technological advances, we are still limited by the inability to protect oocytes from ageing and hence are unable to 'make' embryos better.