In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
What is IVF
Ovarian Hyperstimulation
Egg Retrieval
Fertilization & Embryo Culture
Blastocyst Transfer
Cryopreservation
Candidates for IVF
Prerequisites
Psychological Impact
Cost
 Assisted
Hatching
Sperm
Injection (ICSI)
Preimplantation Genetic
Diagnosis (PGD)
PGD for Aneuploidy
PGD for Single Gene
Disorders
Egg
Donation
Candidates for Egg Donation
Who are the donors
How do we select egg donors
What screening is involved
Procedures and Medications
IVF Cycle
Fertilization & Development
Embryo Transfer
Follow-up Care
Intrauterine
Insemination (IUI)
Pre-Operative
Instructions
Laparoscopy/Hysteroscopy
Post-Operative
Instructions
D&C and/or hysteroscopy
Laparoscopy
Laparotomy/myomectomy
Glossary
of Terms
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Glossary of Terms
American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM)
An organization of more than 10,500 health care specialists and scientists interested in reproductive medicine.
Antisperm Antibodies
Antibodies produced by the immune system of either the male or female partner that mistake sperm for an invading substance and begin attacking them. They may cause sperm to clump together, lose motility or lose the ability to fertilize an egg.
Assisted Hatching
Mechanical or enzymatic opening of the zona pellucida prior to embryo transfer to assist the embryo in escaping from the zona pellucida before implantation.
Cleavage
The division of a fertilized egg. The egg size remains unchanged; the cleavage cells become smaller with each division.
Clinical Pregnancy
A pregnancy confirmed by an increasing level of hCG and the presence of a gestational sac detected by ultrasound.
Cryopreservation
Freezing and storage at a very low temperature, such as in liquid nitrogen (-196°C), to keep embryos or sperm viable.
Ectopic Pregnancy
A pregnancy in the fallopian tube or elsewhere outside the endometrial cavity.
Egg Retrieval
The procedure by which eggs are obtained by inserting a needle into the ovarian follicle and removing the fluid and the egg by suction. Usually performed with ultrasound guidance.
Embryo
A fertilized egg up to 14 days after fertilization.
Embryologist Laboratory specialist,
trained in all of the aspects of the In Vitro Fertilization Laboratory, who handles the sperm, eggs, and embryos from the time of the egg retrieval until embryo transfer or cryopreservation.
Embryo Transfer
Placement of the embryo into the uterus.
Fallopian Tubes
A pair of tubes attached to the uterus, one on each side, where sperm and egg meet in
natural conception. Responsible, in natural conception, for nourishing the embryo during the first few days after fertilization.
Follicles
The fluid-filled cysts or sacs in which an egg matures, lying just under the ovary's surface.
Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH)
The pituitary hormone responsible for stimulating the growth of ovarian follicles.
Gestational Sac
A fluid filled structure that develops within the uterine cavity early in pregnancy. The embryo is contained within this structure.
Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH)
Hormone secreted by the hypothalamus, a control center of the brain, that prompts the pituitary gland to release FSH and LH into the bloodstream.
GnRH Analogs
Synthetic hormones similar to the naturally occurring GnRH.
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG)
A hormone produced by the placenta; its detection is the basis for most pregnancy tests. Also used during ovulation induction to trigger final maturation of the egg and ovulation.
Hyperstimulation Syndrome
A possible side effect of medically induced ovulation, characterized by swollen, painful ovaries and, in some cases, the accumulation of fluid in the abdomen and chest.
Implantation
Embedding of the embryo into the uterine lining.
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
A process in which an egg and sperm are combined in a laboratory dish where fertilization occurs. The fertilized and dividing egg (embryo) is transferred into the women's uterus.
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
Assisted fertilization of an egg where a single sperm is picked up by an ultra
fine glass needle and deposited into the cytoplasm of the egg.
Luteinizing Hormone (LH)
The hormone that triggers ovulation.
Media
Nutrient solution used by the embryology laboratory to support the growth of eggs, sperm and embryos.
Microsurgical Epididymal Sperm Aspiration (MESA)
Aspiration of sperm from the epididymis, the organ that stores and nourishes sperm as they develop and pass from the testes.
Ovulation
Release of the egg from the ovary.
Ovulation Induction
The administration of hormone medications that stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs.
Pronuclear Stage
An early stage of fertilization when the egg and sperm pronuclei are visible under a microscope.
Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART)
An affiliated society of the ASRM comprised of assisted reproductive technology programs that have a special interest in ART and have demonstrated their ability to successfully perform IVF.
Semen
Fluid in which the sperm are ejaculated.
Sperm Penetration Assay (SPA)
Also known as the hamster egg penetration test. A test for sperm function that is used to determine the ability of the sperm to penetrate the egg membrane and decondense (form a pronucleus).
Testicular Sperm Aspiration (TESA)
Aspiration of sperm from the testes by needle biopsy.
Ultrasound
A technology that uses high frequency sound waves to form an image of internal organs on a monitor screen; used by fertility specialists to monitor the growth of ovarian follicles or the presence of a gestational sac.
Zona pellucida
The egg's outer layer that a sperm must penetrate before fertilization.
Zygote
A fertilized egg before cell division begins (single cell embryo).
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*These definitions obtained, in part, from The Patient Information Series of the ASRM.
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