Success of GIFT procedure

The success rate after GIFT is similar to that of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. Some specialists claim a higher success rate with GIFT compared to IVF.

                               Procedure             Live birth rate per embryo transfer cycle
                                        IVF                                                        31.0%
                                        ICSI                                                       28.6%
                                        GIFT                                                      24.5%
                                        ZIFT                                                      29.2%

  
Choosing between GIFT and IVF treatment? There are several points worth considering when selecting between gamete intra-Fallopian transfer (GIFT) and in-vitro fertilization (IVF). The GIFT procedure is simpler and usually less stressful to the couple than IVF. However GIFT requires healthy Fallopian tubes, while IVF can be performed in women with absent or damaged tubes. GIFT also requires a general anesthetic, and its associated complications, while IVF can be performed under a local anesthetic. In addition, GIFT is associated with risks of injuries to bowels, bladder and blood vessels.
Some infertility clinics offer GIFT because it does not require a HFEA license (in the UK) and and requires less laboratory activity.
The Roman Catholic church remains strongly opposed to in-vitro fertilization (IVF), its objection grounded on the belief of catholic orthodoxy that human life begins at fertilization. As a result GIFT may be accepted as an alternative.
In IVF, fertilization takes place in the laboratory dish and can be confirmed visually under the microscope, while in GIFT, there is no way of knowing that fertilization has taken place unless the woman falls pregnant. For this reason, some specialists favor IVF than GIFT especially in unexplained infertility and in male factor infertility.
IVF has almost completely replaced GIFT and ZIFT and they are rarely performed nowadays.