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Fertilization is the fusion of two gametes (egg cell from female and sperm cell from male) to produce a new organism. When the sperm cell successfully fertilized the egg cell, the product is then called zygote. Normally, fertilization in humans occur in a part of the woman’s fallopian tube called ampulla.

Fertility is the natural capability of having a child. Fertility depends on several factors like nutrition, age, sexual behavior, culture, timing, emotions, way of life, economics, etc. In women, peak fertility occurs two days before and two days after the ovulation phase of the menstrual cycle. Fertility declines with increasing age. Fertility in women declines after 30 while semen volume, sperm motility (movement of the sperm) and sperm morphology (size and shape of the sperm) in males decline with increasing age. Infertility is the difficulty or inability to have a child. There are many causes of infertility.

In Vitro Fertilization is the major treatment in infertility when other Assistive Reproductive Technology (ART) methods are unsuccessful. IVF is the fertilization outside the womb, e.g. in test tubes, petri dishes or beakers. This produre involves hormonally controlling the ovulatory process, removing egg cells from the ovaries and letting the sperm cell fertilize them in a fluid medium. Once the fertilization is successful, the fertilized egg (zygote) is then transferred to the patient’s uterus. However, the success rate of IVF varies with age. Babies conceived as a result of IVF are called test tube babies. The first test tube baby was born on 1978.

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