In vitro fertilisation

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a reproductive technique in which eggs are fertilised with sperm outside the body and resulting embryos are transferred to the uterus.

Controlled ovarian stimulation: Hormone treatment that prompts the ovaries to mature multiple eggs during a fertility-treatment cycle. It increases the number of eggs available for retrieval in an IVF cycle.
Robert Edwards: British physiologist who helped develop IVF and received the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. His research established key methods for human egg maturation and fertilisation outside the body.
Tubal factor infertility: Infertility caused by blocked, damaged, or absent fallopian tubes that prevent normal egg and sperm transport. IVF can bypass the fallopian tubes by fertilising eggs in a laboratory.
Intrauterine insemination: A fertility treatment that places prepared sperm directly into the uterus near ovulation. Unlike IVF, it leaves fertilisation to occur inside the body.
Multiple pregnancy: A pregnancy involving two or more fetuses, including twins and higher-order multiples. Transferring multiple embryos can increase the chance of twins or higher-order pregnancies.
Oocyte retrieval: A procedure that collects mature eggs from ovarian follicles, usually using an ultrasound-guided needle. It obtains the eggs that will be fertilised in the laboratory.
Patrick Steptoe: British gynaecologist who pioneered laparoscopic egg retrieval and collaborated with Robert Edwards on IVF. His surgical expertise enabled the team to retrieve human eggs for fertilisation.
Preimplantation genetic testing: Testing of cells from IVF embryos for selected chromosome or genetic conditions before embryo transfer. It uses laboratory-created embryos to assess specific genetic risks before transfer.
Ovulation induction: Medication-based treatment that stimulates or regulates ovulation, often without laboratory fertilisation. It can support conception without retrieving eggs or creating embryos outside the body.
Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome: A complication of fertility treatment in which stimulated ovaries enlarge and fluid shifts cause illness. It can follow the hormone stimulation used to produce multiple eggs for IVF.

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