McShane P M
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.
Women Health. 1987;13(1-2):31-46. doi: 10.1300/j013v13n01_03.
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is demanding, expensive and inefficient. Nevertheless, tens of thousands of couples have undertaken the procedure because of their intense desire to have a biological child. Modifications of the current IVF process--simplification of ovulation induction and prediction of successful cycles; use of ultrasound instead of laparoscopy for egg retrieval; freezing of excess embryos for later replacement; and the substitution of GIFT (gamete intra-fallopian transfer) for IVF when it is indicated--may increase its acceptability to couples and improve success rates. Meanwhile, IVF has had tremendous impact on our understanding of fertility and should help physicians in their approach to infertility in the future. It has also ushered in a new era of genetic engineering whose potential we have not yet begun to realize.
体外受精（IVF）要求高、费用昂贵且效率低下。然而，成千上万的夫妇由于强烈渴望生育亲生孩子而接受了这一程序。对当前体外受精过程进行改进——简化排卵诱导和预测成功周期；使用超声而非腹腔镜取卵；冷冻多余胚胎以备日后移植；以及在有指征时用配子输卵管内移植（GIFT）替代体外受精——可能会提高夫妇对其的接受度并提高成功率。与此同时，体外受精对我们理解生育能力产生了巨大影响，并且在未来应有助于医生治疗不孕症。它还开创了一个基因工程的新时代，其潜力我们尚未开始认识到。
