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Medically Assisted Reproduction

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

  • 42 Accesses

Synonyms

Artificial insemination; Assisted reproduction; In vitro fertilization; Intrauterine insemination

Definitions

The use of medical technology to conceive

Introduction

Assisted reproduction is the use of technology to attain pregnancy when traditional methods are unsuccessful. It includes procedures that have entered our vernacular including in vitro fertilization, artificial insemination, and hormonal fertility treatments. Assisted reproduction technology (ART) can help individuals experiencing difficulty conceiving or those who are experiencing infertility succeed in attaining pregnancy. Additionally, assisted reproduction can also help individuals who are hoping to conceive that have communicable viruses, such as HIV and hepatitis A or B, from giving these diseases to their partners.

The first successful use of ART occurred in 1978, when the first baby conceived from in vitro fertilization was born amidst much controversy (Al-Nuaim and Jenkins 2007). Since that time, assisted...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Virginia Mitchell

Authors
  1. Virginia Mitchell
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Correspondence to Virginia Mitchell .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Lisa L. M. Welling

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© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

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Mitchell, V. (2017). Medically Assisted Reproduction. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_466-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_466-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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