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In situations where targeted intercourse or intrauterine inseminations have not resulted in pregnancy — or are not suitable in vitro fertilization (IVF) can be an ideal treatment option.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a treatment that involves retrieving ovarian follicles from the woman after hormonal stimulation, isolating the collected eggs, and combining them with the partner’s sperm in the laboratory.

After an incubation period of 16–20 hours, the zygotes (fertilized eggs) are identified. One embryo (sometimes two) will be transferred into the uterus after a development period in the incubator (see Embryoscope). The remaining embryos will be cryopreserved for future use.

A few hours after the ovarian follicles are retrieved, the sperm cells are brought into contact with the eggs, which remain surrounded by their nourishing cells. Fertilization takes place in a culture dish. Each dish is labeled with the patients’ names and placed in a special incubator maintained at 37°C.

When conventional fertilization carries a risk of failure — for example, due to low sperm motility or count — intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is used.