What Is IVF?

"In vitro" is Latin for "in glass" — and that small phrase explains the whole idea. In IVF, an egg and sperm are brought together in a laboratory dish rather than inside the body, so fertilisation can happen under the watch of an embryology team. The short video at the top of this page, "Test Tube Baby: In Vitro Fertilization" from Mohamed Ibrahim's channel, walks through that idea in just over two minutes: an egg is fertilised outside the body, and the resulting embryo is then placed in the uterus. If you have just started looking into fertility treatment, here is what a typical cycle feels like from the patient's side.

Before anything starts: tests and a plan

An IVF cycle rarely begins with treatment itself. It usually begins with conversations and tests — looking at hormone levels, checking the ovaries and uterus, and analysing a sperm sample — so the team can plan the cycle around your situation rather than a template. This is also the stage where related conditions are part of the picture: endometriosis, for example, is one of the conditions that can sit behind difficulty conceiving, and understanding it helps explain why IVF is sometimes suggested. Expect this phase to feel like information-gathering, because that is exactly what it is.

The stimulation phase: encouraging several eggs

In a natural cycle, usually one egg matures. IVF works with more than one, so this phase uses prescribed medication over a number of days to encourage the ovaries to mature several eggs at once, with monitoring scans and blood tests along the way to watch how they are developing. The exact medicines and schedule are set individually by your clinic — there is no single standard recipe to follow from an article, and your team will adjust as they see how you respond. Many people describe this as the busiest part of the cycle: frequent appointments, and a fair amount of waiting to see what each scan shows.

Egg collection and the laboratory days

When the eggs look ready, they are collected in a short procedure, usually with ultrasound guidance, while a sperm sample is provided on the same day. Then the laboratory takes over. This site's "How IVF works" video describes this stage plainly: eggs and sperm are brought together in a laboratory glass dish to allow the sperm to fertilise an egg. Over the following days the embryologists check which eggs have fertilised and how the embryos are developing, and they will keep you updated — often this waiting, again, is the part people find hardest.

Transfer, and the wait afterwards

One or more embryos are then placed in the uterus in a brief transfer procedure, and any other suitable embryos may be frozen for a possible later attempt. After that comes the quietest and, emotionally, often the longest phase: waiting until a pregnancy test can give an answer. Not every cycle leads to a pregnancy, and a good clinic will be honest about that from the start while still planning carefully with you. Whatever the result, there is usually a follow-up conversation about what was learned and what, if anything, to try next.

MedicalVideos.com has published trusted medical videos since 2007. The site was founded by Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim, MD, PhD — physician and researcher.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does IVF stand for?
IVF stands for in vitro fertilization. "In vitro" means "in glass," referring to fertilisation taking place in a laboratory dish outside the body, after which an embryo can be placed in the uterus.

Is IVF the same as artificial insemination?
No. With insemination, sperm is placed in the uterus and fertilisation happens inside the body. With IVF, fertilisation happens in the laboratory, and it is an embryo — not sperm — that is placed in the uterus.

How long does one IVF cycle take?
It varies. A cycle usually spans several weeks once medicines, monitoring, egg collection, laboratory days, and transfer are counted, and the preparation and testing before it add time too. Your clinic can give you a timeline for your own plan.

Does IVF always work the first time?
No — not every cycle leads to a pregnancy, and clinics should be straightforward about that. Sometimes more than one cycle is attempted, and embryos frozen from an earlier cycle may be used later. Your team can talk through what applies in your case.

Educational only — this article is general information about IVF, not medical advice and not a guide to whether treatment is right for you. Medicines, schedules, and decisions about fertility treatment must come from your own fertility team, who know your full clinical picture.