The process of In Vitro Fertilization was initially brought to fame by the creation of the world's first "test tube baby" - a breakthrough in assistive reproductive technology, also called ART, that has helped many people achieve pregnancy and childbirth, when other fertility treatment options proved ineffective.
The IVF was first pioneered by Embryologist, Dr. Edwards, and Gynecologist, Dr. Steptoe, in England in 1978, to help couples who were unable to have children, by natural conception, due to fertility problems that could not be overcome with traditional treatments.
The term "in vitro" means, "outside the living body," and was initially referred to as in vitro fertilization - pre-embryonic transfer, or IVF-ET, to refer to the stage of cell development at the time of the implantation into the woman's uterus.
