Literally it means "fertilization in glass". IVF comprises several basic steps: the woman is given fertility drugs that stimulate her ovaries to produce a number of mature eggs; at the proper time, the eggs are retrieved by suction through a needle that has been inserted into her ovaries with the help of transvaginal ultrasound; the eggs are fertilized in a Petri dish in the laboratory with her partner’s sperm; and subsequently the embryos are transferred into the uterus. If there is no menstrual bleeding 16 days after transfer a pregnancy test indicates an early pregnancy.