In vitro fertilization (commonly referred to as simply IVF) is a method of assisted reproduction that provides couples who are infertile a chance to have a baby who is biologically related to them. More than 200,000 babies have been brought into the world as a result of using IVF and it is now recognized worldwide as an established way of treating infertility.

With IVF, a man's sperm and the woman's egg are brought together in a laboratory dish, where fertilization occurs. The embryo which forms is then transferred to the uterus (womb) of the woman to develop naturally. Typically, 3 or 4 embryos are placed in the woman's uterus each time. Each attempt at this is referred to as a cycle, with the cost of each cycle being approximately $12,000.

The full procedure is as follows:

The woman will be given certain drugs (hormones) to stimulate her ovaries to create several eggs. A surgeon then inserts a needle through the vagina into the woman's ovary to take out the eggs. General anesthesia is not necessary when the surgeon does this, but the woman is sometimes given a mild sedative. At the same time, the man provides a semen sample. A laboratory procedure then takes places to separate the sperm from the semen.

Next, the sperm are combined in a laboratory dish with the eggs taken from the woman. About 20 hours after this fertilization procedure, it is possible to determine if any of the eggs have fertilized and if embryos have grown as a result. Should this have happened, they are incubated and observed for the next 2-5 days. The doctor then transfers the embryos back to the woman through the cervix with a catheter (a long slender tube). The woman is then given certain hormones for the following 2 weeks.

The pregnancy success rate of this procedure is 37% among women younger than 35 years, 28% for those between 36-39 years, and 13% in those who are 40+ years. Therefore, the final cost of IVF is normally more than $20,000, as a minority of couples succeed at their first attempt.

As a final point, studies have shown that babies born as a result of the IVF procedure are at least as healthy as those born naturally. The only major complication comes in the increased risk of multiple births, with the likelihood of twins or triplets being noticeably higher when using IVF.

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