In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a form of assisted reproductive technology (ART) developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It involves retrieving mature eggs from the ovaries after ovarian stimulation and fertilizing them with sperm—either from a sperm sample or a surgical sperm retrieval procedure—in a laboratory setting.  

The goal is to create embryos, which are then allowed to develop for a few days in the lab before being transferred into the uterus in hopes of achieving a pregnancy.