In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a technique in which egg cells are fertilized outside the woman's body. It is a major treatment in infertility. In brief, the process involves controlling the ovulatory process, removing ova (eggs) from the woman's body and letting sperm fertilize them in a fluid medium. The fertilized egg or embryo is then transferred to the patient's uterus with the intent to establish a successful pregnancy. "In vitro" is Latin for "in glass", referring to the test tubes, however neither glass nor test tubes are being used.

Initially the IVF was developed to overcome infertility due to problems of the fallopian tubes, but it turned out that it was successful in most infertility situations. This is mainly done for blocked tubes, unexplained infertility, PCO, endometriosis grade 3 & 4, mild oligospermia in males. The introduction of ICSI addresses the problem of male infertility to a large extent. This is the treatment of choice for malefactor infertility in which the sperm count is less than 5 million/ml, sperm defects, dead, immotile sperms,