Guide to In-Vitro Fertilization

For most couples, the desire to start a family at some stage of their relationship is very strong. However, not everybody is able to conceive a child easily and for some couples it remains an impossibility. In 1978, a new technique known as IVF (in-vitro fertilization) became available with the birth, of a baby called Louise Brown, in the UK. The child was conceived after an egg, harvested from her mother, was fertilized by sperm from her father, outside her mother's body. The fertilized embryo was subsequently returned to her mother's womb where it implanted and a normal pregnancy ensued. The technique was pioneered by Dr Patrick Steptoe and Dr Robert Edwards and has since brought the joy of parenthood to many thousands of couples around the world. In this guide, Bright Hub has brought together the most popular of our articles which touch on this fascinating subject.