Some couples have great difficulty achieving fertility and pregnancy through natural conception. This may be caused by genetic causes of infertility, blocked oviducts or low sperm counts.

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a process where eggs are fertilized in laboratory containers and then followed by artificial implantation of the young embryo in the mother's uterus. Typically the mother is given a fertility drug prior to this procedure, which increases the number of viable eggs that are produced. The eggs are surgically removed from the ovary, placed in a container and then mixed with sperm from the father. Often, multiple embryos will be produced. The embryos can be pre-screened for genetic disorders. One embryo will then be selected for artificial implantation into the mother's uterus. The remaining embryos can be stored for later use (by the parents) or will be destroyed.

1. A drug is injected once a day over a period of 3 weeks to stop the woman's normal menstrual cycle.

2. At the end of 3 weeks, Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) is injected once a day fro 10-12 days to stimulate the ovaries into producing many follicles.

3. After the 10-12 days, another hormone, HCG is injected 36 hours before egg collection. This stimulates maturation of the eggs and loosens them within the follicle.

4. The man provides a semen sample. The semen is processed to concentrate the healthiest sperm for collection.

5. After 36 hours, the eggs are extracted from the follicles in the ovaries using a device inserted through the wall of the vagina.

6. Each egg is mixed with the collected sperm in a shallow dish. The dishes are kept overnight in an incubator.

7. Next day, the eggs are checked to see whether fertilization has occurred.

8. A day or so later, several healthy embryos are selected and placed into the uterus using a long plastic tube for insertion.

9. A week or so later, a pregnancy test is performed to check for successful implantation of the embryos.

10. About 1 month after conception, a scan is done to see if the pregnancy has continued normally. At this point the heart should be visibly beating.

Arguments for IVF:

1. Screening of embryos for genetic diseases may reduce the chance that children will suffer the effects of these disease. (Embryos with the genetic diseases won't be used.)

2. Some parents who can't have children will be able to have them.

3. Women with blocked oviducts do not need surgery to unblock them.

Arguments against IVF:

1. More embryos are produced than are needed. The extra embryos may be killed.

2. Embryologists select which embryo survives. Humans are thus choosing which new individuals survive & who dies.

3. Some parents have genetic forms of infertility. IVF allows this genetic fertility to be passed on to the offspring (They may suffer the same impacts of not being able to have children.).

4. The chance of multiple births is more likely with IVF than with natural conception. There may be more health risks for multiple birth children (triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets, etc.).

5. High cost of IVF.

In Vitro Fertilization (Organized Wisdom.com) - Set of links to other info sites.

In Vitro Fertilization (eMedicineHealth)

A complete Guide to IVF (SharedJourney.com)

US Urged to End Ban on In Vitro Birth Research (New York Times)

Why the Catholic Church is opposed to artificial inseminatin and in vitro fertilization