Making Babies

We all learn that life begins when egg meets sperm, but sometimes things need a helping hand. There are almost 50 million infertile couples in the world who cannot conceive naturally, and many turn to in vitro fertilisation (IVF). ‘In vitro’ literally means ‘in glass’ and that is exactly what happens – the egg is fertilised outside the body in a glass dish. Here, an extremely fine needle (on the right) is being used to inject a single sperm into a human egg. This delicate process must be carried out under a microscope. On the left, the tip of a tiny glass pipette is used to hold the egg steady. If fertilisation is successful, the egg is allowed to develop into an embryo before being transferred to the mother’s womb. The first successful IVF baby was born in 1978, and since then the procedure has helped countless couples become parents.

Written by Emma Stoye

Emma Stoye

Writer

Cambridge-based Emma works for Research SEA and Asia Research News. She has a degree in biological sciences from Oxford University, and has written, edited and produced material for the Naked Scientists radio show.

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