IVF stands for In vitro fertilization. It is a technique used in the treatment on infertility. It is quite extreme as far as infertility treatments are concerned and is generally only used once other methods have been tried. The technique is performed by taking the eggs and fertilizing them in the laboratory. The eggs are then planted into the women's womb once fertilized.

As part of the process, the women's ovulatory process will be controlled by hormones.

The major problem with IVF is that it can often cause multiple births. This is due to the practice of fertilizing many embryos to increase the chances of success.

Most studies do not show that IVF increases the risk of birth defects but there are studies that have linked the process to increased rates if ICSI.