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GCSE Biology · key term
A fertility treatment in which eggs are fertilised by sperm in a laboratory before one or two embryos are inserted into the uterus.
Used by AQA and Edexcel
Specification 4.5.3.6 · Paper 2
Revise: Infertility TreatmentsThe two routes to understand are the use of fertility drugs so that conception may occur inside the body, and in vitro fertilisation (IVF), in which fertilisation takes place in a laboratory.
Specification 7.8 · Paper 2
An ART procedure in which an egg is fertilised outside the body before the resulting embryo is transferred into the uterus.
Keep the two treatments distinct: fertility drugs may allow fertilisation to occur inside the body, whereas IVF involves fertilisation in a laboratory.
For an IVF sequence question, use the precise order: hormones → several eggs mature → eggs collected → fertilisation in the laboratory → embryos develop → one or two embryos inserted into the uterus.
Do not describe IVF as certain to produce a baby. State that success rates are not high and vary with factors such as the woman's age and the cause of infertility.
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Two important approaches are clomifene therapy and IVF.