IVF, In Vitro Fertilization

What is IVF or In Vitro Fertilization?

Infertility affects 6.1 million American women and their partners (American Society of Reproductive Medicine). That comes to about 10 percent of the reproductive age population! Luckily, treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) have opened the door for couples that have failed to conceive with conventional methods. IVF is a fertility treatment that can help make the dream of having a family a reality. Since its development, IVF has assisted in the creation of countless families across the world.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a method of assisted reproductive technology (ART) in which the woman’s egg (oocyte) is removed and joined with a man's sperm in a laboratory test tube, where fertilization occurs. The resulting embryo is implanted into the woman’s uterus to develop naturally.

In vitro fertilization was successfully used for the first time in the United States in 1981. Since then, more than 100,000 babies in the United States have been born as a result of IVF (American Society of Reproductive Medicine).

IVF was originally designed to help women with tubal disease that could not conceive naturally. Today, IVF is the treatment of choice for various types of infertility for couples that have not had success with less invasive treatments.

If you have any of the following conditions, you may be a good candidate for IVF:

  • Ovulatory dysfunction
  • Male factor infertility
  • Blocked, diseased, or absent fallopian tubes
  • Pelvic inflammatory disease
  • Failed conventional fertility methods with Clomid, injectable drugs, and/or intrauterine insemination (IUI)
  • Endometriosis
  • PCOS Uterine factors or cervical mucus problems
  • Unexplained infertility