In vitro fertilisation
assisted reproductive technology procedure (ART) in which a women’s eggs are fertilized by sperm in a laboratory instead of inside the fallopian tube (in –vivo)
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a way to let sperm fertilise egg cells outside of the womb. IVF is used so that infertile women may still have children.
Methods Edit
IVF is done by:
- Injecting a chemical drug to stop a woman's menstrual cycle
- Injecting FSH so that an ova is released from the woman's ovaries
- HCG is injected to loosen the ova
- The ova is removed from the vagina
- A sample of sperm is taken
- The sperm and egg are added together and a sperm will fertilise an egg
- The fertilised egg (zygote) is then injected into the woman's uterus
History Edit
Louise Brown, a female born in 1978 in Manchester, England, was the first ever person to be born as a result of in vitro fertilisation.
Some religious organisations believe that adoption is a better course of action for infertile couples. They think IVF is wrong because it is unnatural.
Other websites Edit
- Guide to infertility (HFEA) Archived 2008-04-12 at the Wayback Machine