IVF (in vitro fertilisation)

IVF (in vitro fertilisation) is a fertility treatment in which eggs are collected from the ovaries and fertilised with sperm in a laboratory, outside the body. If an egg fertilises and grows into an embryo, it is then placed into the uterus, where it may implant and lead to a pregnancy. It is the most widely used form of advanced assisted reproduction.

Who IVF is for

IVF is used across a wide range of situations, including blocked or damaged fallopian tubes, ovulation problems that have not responded to simpler treatment, moderate to severe male-factor infertility (often with ICSI), endometriosis, unexplained infertility after other options, and when using donor eggs or sperm. It is also used to enable genetic testing of embryos where that is needed.

It is not always the first step. For milder problems, a clinic may suggest ovulation medication or IUI first. Our guide on IUI vs IVF vs ICSI explains when each makes sense.

How it works

One IVF cycle has a few main stages: stimulating the ovaries with medication to grow several eggs, collecting those eggs in a short procedure, fertilising them with sperm in the lab, growing the embryos for a few days, and transferring one to the uterus. Any good-quality embryos left over can be frozen for later.

For a full walkthrough of what each stage feels like and how long it takes, see what an IVF cycle looks like.

How well it works

Success depends more on age than on almost anything else, because egg quality declines over time. As a rough guide drawn from large datasets, around a third of embryo transfers lead to a birth for people under 35, falling to roughly a quarter in the late 30s, and into the single digits past the early 40s when using your own eggs. Donor eggs change this picture considerably.

Because one cycle often does not succeed, many people need more than one. It helps to think and plan in terms of two or three cycles rather than a single attempt.

IVF in India

In India, IVF is regulated under the ART (Regulation) Act 2021, and clinics offering it must be registered as Level 2 (advanced ART) on the National ART and Surrogacy Registry. You can check a clinic's registration in our directory.

A single cycle commonly costs about 1.5 to 3 lakh rupees, and clinics in the big metros tend to sit at the higher end. That figure is rarely the whole story: medication, ICSI, embryo freezing and storage, genetic testing, and donor programmes are usually extra. Ask for the full itemised cost in writing before you start, and check what is and is not included.

Questions worth asking

Before committing, it is worth asking a clinic about your specific diagnosis and whether IVF is really the right step, its live-birth rate for your age group, who will perform your procedures, the full cost in writing, and the evidence behind any add-ons it suggests. Our questions to ask your clinic page has a checklist you can take with you.