Glossary
The following list contains an explanation of terms referred to on our website and/or in our annual report:
Artificial Insemination - a procedure of transferring sperm without also transferring an oocyte into the vagina, a cervical canal or uterus of a woman.
Assisted Reproductive Treatment - a medical treatment or a procedure that procures, or attempts to procure, pregnancy in a woman by means other than sexual intercourse or artificial insemination, and includes in-vitro fertilisation and gamete intra-fallopian transfer.
Commissioning Parent - for a surrogacy arrangement, the person or persons who enter into the surrogacy arrangement for a woman to carry a child on behalf of the person or persons.
DI (Donor Insemination) - Artificial insemination with donor sperm.
Donor - A person who donates egg/s or sperm. This person may be known or anonymous to the recipient.
Donor Conception - A conception that takes place through the use of donated gametes (egg, sperm or embryo). People born through the use of donor treatment are referred to as donor-conceived or donor offspring.
Donor Recipient/Relative - A person who is the recipient or related to the recipient of a donor treatment procedure. This terminology is usually used to describe someone in a parenting role of a donor-conceived person. However, it can be extended outside of this boundary.
Donor Treatment - A treatment procedure where the desired outcome is pregnancy through the use of donor gametes.
Embryo - Any stage of human embryonic development at and from syngamy. Syngamy is that stage of development of a fertilised oocyte where the chromosomes derived from the male and female pronuclei align on the mitiotic spindle.
Fertilisation - Penetration of an oocyte (egg) by sperm.
Gamete - An oocyte (egg) or sperm.
GIFT (Gamete Intra Fallopian Transfer) - A medical procedure of transferring oocyte's (egg/s) and sperm to the body of a woman.
ICSI (Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection) - ICSI is a micromanipulation technique where a single sperm is injected into the inner celular structure of an oocyte.
IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation) - Co-incubation of sperm and oocyte outside the body of a woman. (It does not necesarily result in the formation of an embryo which is fit for transfer.) Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) may also be used as part of an IVF procedure.
Oocyte (egg) retrieval - Procedure undertaken in an attempt to collect oocyte's from a woman.
PGD (Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis) - After IVF, one or two cells are removed from the embryo in vitro and tested to avoid the transmission of a genetic abnormality or congenital disease inherited from the parents. This procedure may also be used for IVF and pregnancy failure.
Sibling/Half-Sibling - The relationship of two donor-conceived persons to one another. If they are the result of the same mother utilising the same donor or donors they are considered to be full-siblings. People born as a result of donor treatment where the same donor was utilised are considered to be half-siblings.
Surrogate - a women who becomes intentionally pregnant agrees prior to conception to permanently surrender the child to another person or couple who will be the child's parent or parents.
Register - A formal or official record. The Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages maintains registers relating to donor conception in Victoria.
Transfer - The procedure of placing embryos or occytes and sperm into the body of a woman.
VARTA - Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority
