Involves fertilization of the eggs by the sperms in the laboratory outside the body in an artificial environment. When fertilization is achieved the embryos are then returned back to the uterus two to five days after . This procedure was first successfully used for infertility in humans in 1978 in the industrial city of Oldham in the north of England when Louise Brown was born. In fact she was achieved after 98 previous attempts. She also has a sister conceived using the same technique. Louise Brown is now married and has children of her own. At the British Clinic, Dr. Samia Saafan and Professor Darwish are privileged to have personally known very well, Dr. Patrick Steptoe and Dr. Robert Edwards from the early 1970’s during their work in Liverpool in the North of England and witnessed the presentation of the early work in this field, as well as of the value of laparoscopy in which Dr. Steptoe was also interested. To date, tens of thousands of babies have been delivered worldwide as a result of IVF treatment. Over the years, the procedures to achieve IVF pregnancy have become increasingly simpler, safer and more successful.

Steps in the Process

To accomplish pregnancy as a result of IVF, several steps are involved:

• Stimulation of the ovary to produce several mature fertilizable oocytes (eggs)
• Retrieval of the oocytes from the ovary and placing them in the suitable dish in the incubator at the IVF laboratory
• Fertilization of the oocytes using the husband prepared semen and culture of the embryos in the IVF Laboratory.
• Placement of the embryos into the uterus for implantation (embryo transfer or ET)

When IVF Might Be An Option?

Some of the types of infertility that might be helped with IVF include:

• Absent fallopian tubes or tubal disease that cannot be treated successfully by surgery
• Endometriosis that has not responded to surgical or medical treatment
• A male factor contributing to infertility, in which sperm counts or motility are low but there are enough active sperm to allow fertilization in the laboratory
• Severe male factor in which sperm must be obtained surgically
• Unexplained infertility that has not responded to other treatments
• Infertility secondary to sperm antibodies
• Genetic diseases that result in miscarriage or abnormal births

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