IVF (test tube baby) is a procedure which helps couples who are unable to have children with conventional treatments conceive. With the advancements in Assisted Reproductive Technologies, almost all couples can have children by the aid of some form of IVF.

IVF (in vitro fertilisation) was pioneered in the 1980’s by Dr. Edward and Dr. Steptoe, and it has come a long way since then. IVF is among the most successful infertility treatments and gives good successful results. IVF is useful for patients with blocked fallopian tubes, pelvic adhesions, previously ligated fallopian tubes, endometriosis, advanced age of the female partner, multiple failed IUI’s, unexplained infertility and male factor infertility. Children born from IVF are as normal as normally conceived children. In fact, the first IVF child ever in the world, Louise Brown, got married, conceived naturally,and a son was born to her in 2006, laying to rest all doubts about the fertility of children conceived by IVF.

In IVF, the womans eggs are taken out of her body and they are fertilised in the lab in a petri dish with her husbands sperm. The embryo thus formed is then tansferred back into her uterus. Hence the name of the procedure is test tube baby.

Many new treatment modalities were pioneered and ICSI (intra cytoplasmic sperm injection)was introduced for severe male factor infertility. With ICSI, men who have very low sperm count or very poor motility can have their own biological children. Even men who have no sperms in their ejaculate but do have sperms in their testis can have their biological children after procedures like TESE, PESA. The mature or immature sperms taken out of the testis using TESE, PESA are then used in ICSI to fertilise the eggs.

Using Donor eggs is good for women with premature ovarian failure. They can borrow healthy and young eggs from young women for their IVF. Donor egg IVF is also very useful for women with advanced age, recurrent IVF failures and for those women with inherited genetic disorders.

This is done for men who do not have any sperms in their testis. It is also used for men who have genetic inheritance disorders which they do not want to get transmittted to their children. Here sperms are procured from Sperm Banks, after matching the donors blood group, racial origin, height, hair, skin and eye color etc.

Surrogacy is an option for those women who have severe damaged or undeveloped uterus. It is also very helpful for those women who are medically unfit (heart/ liver/ lung disorders etc) to carry their own pregnancy for nine months. Surrogacy can also be done for women with multiple IVF failures.