• Question: what is ivf

    Asked by essie to Gemma on 20 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Gemma Sharp

      Gemma Sharp answered on 20 Jun 2011:

      Thanks for the question 🙂

      IVF stands for In Vitro Fertilisation. It’s the technique scientists and doctors carry out to fertilise an egg cell outside of the body. Basically the woman takes hormone drugs to stimulate her to produce eggs, these are then removed by a doctor and given to a scientist who mixes the eggs with sperm in a plastic dish and lets the fertilised eggs grow. After a few days the embryo (at this stage just a ball of cells) is put back in to the mother so that it can grow inside the womb like any other baby.

      IVF is used for couples who are finding it difficult to have a baby naturally.

      The type of scientist that mixes the sperm and the eggs and grows them is a Clinical Embryologist. I used to want to be one before I got more interested in my project! 🙂

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