IVF is a process by which an egg is fertilised by sperm outside the body in a laboratory. The process involves monitoring and stimulating a woman’s ovulatory process, removing an ovum or ova (egg or eggs) from the woman’s ovaries and letting sperm fertilise them in a liquid in the laboratory. The fertilised egg (zygote) is cultured for 2–5 days in a growth medium and is then implanted in the same woman’s uterus, with the intention of establishing a successful pregnancy. For IVF to be successful it typically requires healthy ova (eggs), sperm that can fertilise, and a uterus that can maintain a pregnancy.
