IVF

• Sperm fertilizing an egg

  How most babies are conceived
• Fetus growing inside the mother's uterus

  How most babies are conceived
• Sometimes natural conception is not possible due to fertility problems in one or both parents
• There are 5 million children worldwide born to parents who either couldn't or had difficulty producing babies
• IVF


  In vitro fertilization, a way of helping with infertility problems, has been in use since 1978
• IVF process


  1. Down-regulation (using drugs to turn off woman's ovaries)

  2. Boosting egg supply (injecting FSH to increase egg production)

  3. Egg maturation (injecting HCG to cause eggs to mature)

  4. Egg removal (using a pipette to remove eggs from woman)

  5. Sperm collection and processing

  6. Egg and sperm mixing and fertilization

  7. Embryo development and transfer (embryos kept in warm place, then best 2-3 transferred to woman's uterus)
• IVF


  • Can overcome a multitude of fertility problems (e.g. using donor eggs/sperm, surrogate mother)
  • Increases chances of success by producing more eggs
• IVF can be used when natural fertilization inside the body cannot occur, often due to reproductive parts of mother or father not working properly
• The wonderful thing about IVF is that it can overcome a multitude of fertility problems