What is a test tube baby?

In vitro fertilization, or IVF, is the most common and effective type of assisted reproductive technology to help women become pregnant.
It involves fertilizing an egg outside the body, in a laboratory dish, and then implanting it in a woman’s uterus.

Techniques may differ depending on the clinic, but IVF usually involves the following steps:

The woman receives a drug, usually in the form of a daily injection for about 2 weeks, to suppress their natural menstrual cycle.

Fertility drugs containing the fertility hormone follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) are given to the woman.
FSH makes the ovaries produce more eggs than usual.
Vaginal ultrasound scans can monitor the process in the ovaries.

The eggs are collected through a minor surgical procedure known as “follicular aspiration.”
A very thin needle is inserted through the vagina and into an ovary.
The needle is which is connected to a suction device.
This sucks the eggs out.
This process is repeated for each ovary.
In 2011, researchers suggested that collecting 15 eggs from the ovaries in one cycle gives the highest chance of a successful pregnancy.
Frozen or donated eggs may also be used.

The eggs that have been collected are placed together with male sperm and kept in an environmentally controlled chamber.
After a few hours, the sperm should enter the egg.
Sometimes the sperm is directly injected into the egg.
This is known as an intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
Frozen sperm, retrieved through testicular biopsy, may be used.
This is believed to be as effective as fresh sperm in achieving a successful pregnancy.
The fertilized egg divides and becomes an embryo.
At this point, some centers offer pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) which can screen an embryo for genetic disorders.
This is somewhat controversial and is not always used.
One or two of the best embryos are selected for transfer.
The woman is then given progesterone or human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) to help the lining of the womb receive the embryo.

Sometimes, more than one embryo is placed in the womb.
It is important that the doctor and the couple wishing to have a child discuss how many embryos should be transferred.
Normally, a doctor will only transfer more than one embryo if no ideal embryos are available.
The transfer of the embryo is done using a thin tube, or catheter.
It enters the womb through the vagina. When the embryo sticks to the lining of the womb, healthy embryo growth can begin.

When there is damage to the fallopian tube
When the ovulation is missing and the woman does not have enough eggs for fertilization
When a premature ovarian failure takes place
When there is a syndrome of Endometriosis

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