IVF stands for In Vitro Fertilization. This technique consists of procuring ova from the ovaries, adding sperm cells and fertilizing the oocytes in laboratory conditions, outside the body. 150 babies are born with the assistance of the IVF unit every year.

In order to achieve fertilization naturally, the ovary needs to ovulate, the oocyte that has been released travels from the ovary to the fallopian tube, where it needs to meet a sperm cell and undergo fertilization. The embryo produced travels from the site of fertilization in the fallopian tube, into the uterus, where it implants and begins to develop. With the IVF technique, the meeting between the oocyte and the sperm occurs in the laboratory, the embryo develops in an incubator for 2-5 days and is then returned into the uterus.

IVF may be used when the reason for infertility is mechanical, i.e. when an obstruction in the fallopian tubes or pelvic adhesions impair the meeting of the ovum with the sperm; it may also be used when there is a hormonal imbalance causing a disruption in ovulation, or when the cause for infertility is unexplained.

IVF consists of five major steps:

• Induction of ovulation, and monitoring of follicular development using blood tests and ultrasound scans
• Ovum pick up
• Production of sperm
• Incubation of the oocytes with sperm, under optimal conditions for fertilization and embryo development
• Embryo transfer into the uterus

Ovum pick up is generally done under a short general anesthesia. A thin needle is inserted through the vagina and ova are aspirated from the mature follicles under ultrasonic guidance. On the day of ovum pick up, the patient's partner produces a sample of ejaculate which is examined in the laboratory and prepared. A controlled number of sperm is added to each fertilization dish and the dishes are transferred to an incubator. The next morning, the lab biologists check to see how many oocytes were fertilized. Embryos are generally transferred back into the patient's uterus on the third day after ovum pick up, when embryos have divided into 4-8 cells. Sometimes, the transfer is postponed to the fifth day, when embryos have developed further and are at the blastocyst stage. The number of embryos transferred is determined according to the medical history and after discussion with the couple.