ZIFT

acronym Also written Zift (Health and Fitness) (Science and Technology) Short for zygote intra-fallopian transfer, a technique for helping infertile couples to conceive, in which a zygote (a fertilized egg which has been allowed to begin developing into an embryo) is re-implanted into one of the woman's Fallopian tubes after fertilization with her partner's sperm outside the body. Etymology: The initial letters of Zygote Intra-Fallopian Transfer. In scientific terms, a zygote is a cell formed by the union of two gametes (see GIFT). History and Usage: The technique was developed during the second half of the eighties as a further refinement of GIFT, offering greater certainty of establishing a pregnancy. However, unlike GIFT, it takes fertilization outside the body once again, and is therefore open to the same ethical or religious objections as IVF. A new variation, zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT), may further improve GIFT's odds. The egg is fertilized in a petri dish, and the embryo is placed in the fallopian tube about 18 hours later. ZIFT has been tried on fewer than 50 couples, so it is too soon to measure its success. US News & World Report 3 Apr. 1989, p. 75 On this occasion, I was being treated with a variation of Gift, called Zift (Zygote intrafallopian transfer), in which the eggs and sperm are mixed outside the body and then replaced in the tube. Independent 15 Jan. 1991, p. 17