Test-tube baby. Conceptual illustration of a foetus in a test tube, representing the concept of in vitro fertilization (IVF), where fertilization occurs in the laboratory. The resulting baby may be called a test-tube baby. The symbols for the female and male sexes are at top left, and strands of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) are also shown emerging from the test tube, representing genetic engineering. In IVF, human reproductive cells from a man (sperm or spermatozoon) and a woman (ovum or egg) are brought together outside the body, and the process of fertilization is engineered. The result is a fertilized egg that can be implanted in the uterus of a woman where it develops into an embryo and then a baby. IVF is used to treat infertility in men, as well as allowing stored and frozen sperm and eggs to be used from men and women who later become sterile.
