In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) is a medical procedure where eggs and sperm are combined in a lab dish. It is a fertility treatment for those who are having trouble conceiving due to issues such as poor sperm quality, endometriosis or low ovarian reserve, or for same sex couples and single women.
Successfully fertilised embryos are transferred back into the woman's uterus to grow in the womb, usually one at a time. They can also be frozen for future cycles in addition to any surplus embryos. This allows for frozen embryo transfer, a procedure whereby frozen embryos are thawed before being inserted into the uterus.
IVF treatment can use the patients’ own eggs and sperm, or can be carried out with donor eggs or donor sperm. Combining IVF with donor eggs can sometimes be more successful, particularly for those over 40 or who have previously been through multiple IVF cycles.