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What is infertility and in vitro fertilization?

How conception occurs

In a regular menstrual cycle, one or two eggs are released from the ovaries around the middle of the cycle. The egg is picked up by the fallopian tube, where it can meet sperm. The fertilized egg travels toward the uterus for several days and settles in the uterine lining, and pregnancy begins.

What is infertility?

Infertility is the inability to conceive after 6 to 12 months of regular, unprotected intercourse.¹ It is reported in about one in six couples at some point.² Causes can be related to the woman, the man or both, and in some couples no clear cause is found.³

Initial tests

Gynaecological and ultrasound examination, and hormone tests (FSH, LH, estradiol, prolactin, TSH, free T4)
X-ray of the uterus and tubes
Semen analysis

The type of treatment is planned after these tests.³

What is IVF?

In vitro fertilization (IVF) means that the egg and sperm are brought together in a laboratory. In conventional IVF, eggs are placed in a dish with sperm. In the microinjection method (ICSI), a single sperm is injected into each egg.⁴ The physician and embryologist decide which method is suitable.

References

Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Definition of infertility: a committee opinion. Fertility and Sterility. 2023.
World Health Organization. Infertility prevalence estimates, 1990–2021. Geneva: WHO; 2023.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Fertility problems: assessment and treatment. NICE guideline NG257. 2026.
Palermo G, Joris H, Devroey P, Van Steirteghem AC. Pregnancies after intracytoplasmic injection of single spermatozoon into an oocyte. The Lancet. 1992;340(8810):17–18.