IVF (In Vitro Fertilization)
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a form of assisted reproductive technology (ART) in which eggs are retrieved from the ovaries following controlled ovarian stimulation, fertilized with sperm in a laboratory dish, and the resulting embryo or embryos are transferred to the uterus. The name means "in glass": fertilization happens outside the body, in a controlled laboratory environment rather than in the fallopian tube.
An IVF cycle follows a consistent sequence of steps. First, fertility medications stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple follicles rather than the single egg a natural ovulatory cycle produces.1 Second, a needle-guided retrieval procedure collects the mature eggs from the follicles under sedation.2 Third, the retrieved eggs are fertilized in the laboratory. Fourth, one or more resulting embryos are transferred to the uterus, typically several days after retrieval.3 Embryos not transferred in that cycle may be frozen for later use, donated, used in research, or discarded.4 Each of those outcomes carries a consequential decision for the couple.
IVF side effects range from mild to serious. Known risks include ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS),5 elevated rates of preterm birth and low birthweight compared to spontaneous conception,6 and multiple pregnancy when more than one embryo is transferred.7 Per-cycle live-birth rates decline substantially with advancing maternal age.8 Per-embryo-transfer rates (not cumulative rates across multiple attempts) fall well below those of younger patients by the late thirties and into single digits past the early forties using a patient's own eggs, according to registry data.9
RRM does not perform IVF, and the difference is one of purpose. IVF bypasses the reproductive system; RRM works to restore it.10 IVF does not correct the underlying obstacle to conception. Across a cohort of 1,310 couples, NaProTechnology evaluation identified a mean of 2.5 unresolved anatomical, hormonal, or endometrial conditions per couple, and the full cohort went on to a 62.1% adjusted cumulative take-home baby rate at 36 or more months.11 Within that same cohort, couples with a prior failed ART cycle reached a 25.3% take-home baby rate: one in four, after NaProTechnology diagnosed and treated conditions their earlier IVF attempts never addressed.11 Endometriosis, one of the most common underlying conditions in infertile women, carries a low but real risk of progression during any conception attempt, whether via in vivo conception or IVF.12 IVF does nothing to diagnose or excise the lesion driving that progression: the disease is left in place either way. RRM's position is that many such conditions are diagnosable and treatable.13 RRM asks a different question: what is causing the reproductive system to fail, and can that cause be corrected?
See IVF vs. RRM: Key Conceptual Distinctions and NaProTECHNOLOGY for the restorative alternative.
Cited in this entry
- ESHRE Guideline Group on Ovarian Stimulation, Ata B, Bosch E, Broer S, Griesinger G, Grynberg M et al. ESHRE guideline: ovarian stimulation for IVF/ICSI: an update in 2025†. Human reproduction (Oxford, England). 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41732035/
- Liang T, Ruetz K, Haakman O, Vilos A, Vilos G, Abu-Rafea B Impact of class III obesity on outcomes and complications of transvaginal ultrasound-guided oocyte pickup. F&S reports. 2020. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34223255/
- Glujovsky D, Cornelisse S, Blake D, Quinteiro Retamar AM, Alvarez Sedo CR, Ciapponi A Blastocyst-stage versus cleavage-stage embryo transfer in assisted reproductive technology. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41574757/
- Anifandis G, Ioannou D, Kokkali G, Chatzimeletiou K, Messini C, Antonouli S et al. Navigating the practical challenges and ethical dilemmas of surplus cryopreserved human embryos. Systems biology in reproductive medicine. 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39873479/
- Prevention of moderate and severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome: a guideline. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38099867/
- Perinatal outcome of singletons and twins after assisted conception: a systematic review of controlled studies. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14742347/
- Pandian Z, Marjoribanks J, Ozturk O, Serour G, Bhattacharya S Number of embryos for transfer following in vitro fertilisation or intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2013. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23897513/
- Sunderam S, Kissin DM, Zhang Y, Jewett A, Boulet SL, Warner L et al. Assisted Reproductive Technology Surveillance - United States, 2018. Morbidity and mortality weekly report. Surveillance summaries (Washington, D.C. : 2002). 2022. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35176012/
- Fertility Treatment 2019: Trends and Figures. https://www.hfea.gov.uk/about-us/publications/research-and-data/fertility-treatment-2019-trends-and-figures/
- Boyle PC, de Groot T, Andralojc KM, Parnell TA. Healthy singleton pregnancies from restorative reproductive medicine (RRM) after failed IVF. Frontiers in Medicine. 2018. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30109231/
- NaProTechnology for infertility: take-home baby rate and clinical outcomes in a 5-year single-center cohort. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41323405/
- Somigliana E, Vigano' P, Invernici D, Fornelli G, Merli CEM, Vercellini P Risk of endometriosis progression in infertile women trying to conceive naturally or using IVF. Human reproduction (Oxford, England). 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40344687/
- Stanford JB, Parnell TA, Boyle PC Outcomes from treatment of infertility with natural procreative technology in an Irish general practice. Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine : JABFM. 2008. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18772291/
Authoritative References
How other clinical authorities define this term. RRM Academy curates these verbatim or under fair use so the medical consensus is visible alongside our RRM-contextualized definition above.
- MeSH D005307
An assisted reproductive technique that includes the direct handling and manipulation of oocytes and sperm to achieve fertilization in vitro.
- NCI Thesaurus C16580
A procedure in which eggs are removed from a woman's ovary and combined with sperm outside the body to form embryos. The embryos are grown in the laboratory for several days and then either placed in a woman's uterus or cryopreserved (frozen) for future use.
- MedlinePlus
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is the joining of a woman's egg and a man's sperm in a laboratory dish. In vitro means outside the body. Fertilization means the sperm has attached to and entered the egg.
- Wikipedia In_vitro_fertilisation
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation in which an egg is combined with sperm in vitro. The process involves monitoring and stimulating the ovulatory process, then removing an ovum or ova from the ovaries and enabling sperm to fertilise them in a culture medium in a laboratory. After a fertilised egg (zygote) undergoes embryo culture for 2–6 days, it is transferred by catheter into the uterus, with the intention of establishing a successful pregnancy.
This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult an RRM clinician or healthcare provider for guidance specific to your situation.