Assisted conception. II--In vitro fertilisation and intracytoplasmic sperm injection

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Abstract
Introduction In vitro fertilisation (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) are two of the main types of assisted conception that take place in the laboratory. This article covers these two techniques in detail and looks at their safety and success. View larger version: In this window In a new window Fertilisation: (left) each egg is surrounded by a complex of cumulus cells (purple) that the sperm need to disperse to reach the zona pellucida, the protective outer coating of the egg; (middle) capacitated sperm first bind to the zona pellucida (1) and release enzymes from the acrosome (2), which digest a pathway through the zona pellucida (3); (right) the sperm is able to fuse with the plasma membrane of the egg and becomes incorporated within the egg Footnotes Competing interests None declared. The figure showing fertilisation is adapted from Primaton P, Myles DG. Science 2002:296: 5576. The photographs of human embryos in vitro are courtesy of Dr S Pickering, Guy's Hospital, London.

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