IVF
Petri dish pregnancy
IVF is short for in vitro fertilization—a medical procedure where an egg is fertilized by sperm outside the body, typically in a laboratory dish, then implanted in the uterus.
The technique helps people who cannot conceive naturally: They tried IVF after years of infertility.
IVF has become central to debates about reproductive technology, embryo status, and fertility treatment access.
Organism before birth
- implantationEmbedding into tissue
- egg retrievalSurgical collection of ova
- embryo transferPlacing fertilized egg inside
- oocyteUndeveloped female gamete
blastocyst · follicle · progesterone · estrogen · sedation · speculum · catheter · blood work
Lidded laboratory culture container
- incubatorControlled warming enclosure
- embryologistSpecialist in prenatal development
- micromanipulationPrecision work at microscopic scale
- cryopreservationLow-temperature biological preservation
vitrification · thawing · biopsy · grading · microscope · pipette · centrifuge · sterile
Fertility gift from another
- donor spermGifted reproductive cells
- surrogacyBearing child for others
- gestational carrierPerson carrying another's pregnancy
- egg freezingPreserving ova at subzero
Repeating sequence of events
- two-week waitTime before pregnancy test
- beta testPrerelease software evaluation
- positiveAffirming or certain
- negativeOpposite of affirmative
stims · hope · disappointment · resilience · emotional · support group · injections · waiting
Relating to genetic structures
- biopsyTissue sample for diagnosis
- genetic counselorSpecialist in hereditary conditions
- sex selectionChoosing offspring's gender
- diagnosisIdentification of illness
embryo
Organism before birth
- implantationEmbedding into tissue
- egg retrievalSurgical collection of ova
- embryo transferPlacing fertilized egg inside
oocyte · blastocyst · follicle · progesterone · estrogen · sedation · speculum · catheter · blood work
petri dish
Lidded laboratory culture container
- incubatorControlled warming enclosure
- embryologistSpecialist in prenatal development
- micromanipulationPrecision work at microscopic scale
cryopreservation · vitrification · thawing · biopsy · grading · microscope · pipette · centrifuge · sterile · laboratory
donor egg
Fertility gift from another
- donor spermGifted reproductive cells
- surrogacyBearing child for others
- gestational carrierPerson carrying another's pregnancy
cycle
Repeating sequence of events
- two-week waitTime before pregnancy test
- beta testPrerelease software evaluation
- positiveAffirming or certain
negative · stims · hope · disappointment · resilience · emotional · support group · injections · waiting · anxiety
chromosomal
Relating to genetic structures
- biopsyTissue sample for diagnosis
- genetic counselorSpecialist in hereditary conditions
- sex selectionChoosing offspring's gender
- medical proceduressurgery, transplant, bypass surgery, biopsy, heart surgery
- Medical Advancespenicillin, vaccine, X-ray, insulin pump, pacemaker
- reproductionreproduction, birth, baby, egg, sperm
- British Inventionssteam engine, jet engine, spinning jenny, power loom, telephone
- discoveriesbreakthrough, scientific discovery, finding, uncovering, detection
- inventionsprinting press, steam engine, lightbulb, light bulb, microscope
Pregnancy achieved without fertility treatment
Unaided capacity for reproduction
contraception · birth control · infertility · sterilization · abstinence
in, fertilization, fertilize, fertilized, fertilizer, fertile, fertility, infertile, infertility