In vitro fertilisation - is combining sperm and eggs in a laboratory in order to bring about the fertilisation of the eggs. The resulting embryos are inserted into the uterus and then they only have to complete the implantation stage for there to be a pregnancy.
Intracitoplasmatic sperm injection - classical IVF consists of leaving the sperm and eggs together so they fertilisation arises by itself. In some cases, however, it is necessary to carry out intracitoplasmatic sperm injection (or ICSI for short). This consists of actively introducing or microinjecting the sperm into each egg.
Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis - a diagnosis of embryos resulting from IVF and discovering which ones are genetically normal. Following PGD those which have passed the test are transferred to the uterus to bring about a pregnancy.
Egg donation
In vitro fertilisation with eggs which have been donated anonymously is an assisted reproduction technique, which has now been used for many years. Its use lies in the fact that it makes pregnancy possible for women in whom pregnancy with their own eggs is very unlikely or even impossible for a variety of reasons.
Sperm bank
The introduction of ICSI has meant that the use of sperm donations has become less common. However, there are still cases where it is not possible to find sperm, even after carrying out a testicular biopsy.