IVF

IVF (In vitro fertilisation) is an assisted reproductive technology in a process by which egg and sperm are fertilized outside the body and then placed in a woman’s uterus after fertilisation. It usually involves the removal of eggs from the woman’s ovary and the collection of sperm from a male. The embryo, which results from fertilisation in the laboratory, is transferred to the woman’s uterus about two to five days later. At this stage, long before any organs have formed, it is still visible to the naked eye and consists of only a few cells.

IVF has had huge publicity and has gained a false reputation as the solution for infertility. In practise, it is one of the most demanding of all procedures in reproductive medicine and is the least successful compared to some alternatives. Strictly speaking, IVF is not even a “treatment...