In a healthy woman, the fertilisation of egg by the sperm takes place in the oviduct (or fallopian tube). The oviducts of some women are blocked due to some reasons. Such women cannot produce babies in the normal way because the eggs released by their ovary cannot meet the sperms and get fertilised in the oviducts (because the oviducts are blocked). Such women wwho cannot produce babies are called sterile. Even sterile women can have babies by using the 'in-vitro fertilisation' technique. In vitro fertilisation' means "in glass fertilisation'. This is because in this technique, fertilisation of an egg with sperm is carried out in a 'glass dish' or a 'glass tube' rather than in the body of a woman. This is commonly known as 'test-tube baby' technique. In Vitro Fertilisation is known as IVF in short. The in vitro fertilisation technique helps the woman with blocked oviducts in having babies as follows: 1. The eggs are removed from the oyary of woman by laproscopy. In this operation, a small cut is made in the side of woman's abdomen and an optical fibre tube is inserted into her body so that the doctor can see the ovary and take out the tiny egg 2. The woman's husband provides the sperms (in the form of semen). 3. The sperms are mixed with eggs in a glass dish (or glass test-tube) to carry out fertilisation. The fertilised eggs (or zygotes develop into embryos. 4. After about a week, one or more embryos are placed in the woman's uterus (or womb). If the embryo gets implanted in the uterus successfully, then normal pregnancy occurs and a baby is born after about nine months. In vitro fertilisation (IVF) technique is used to help those couples (husbands and wives) in having babies who can produce sperms and eggs but fertilisation cannot take lace inside the woman's body due to blocked oviducts (or blocked fallopian tubes). The 'in vitro fertilisation' technique was initially developed for carrying out the reproduction in farm animals (like cows and buffaloes) in 1950. This technique was used successfully for reproduction in humans in 1978. A lårge number of babies are now born in our country by using this IVF technique. The success rate of this technique is only about 30 to 40 per cent. The babies born through in vitro fertilisation technique are celled test-tube babies because the fertilisation takes place in a glass dish or a glass test-tube. This is, however, a misnomer (wrong name) because except for a very brief period of about one week of fertilisation and very early development (which is spent in a test-tube), almost the entire growth and development of the baby takes place inside the uterus of the woman as in normal pregnancy.

Sample Questions

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Question : 1

Which of the following are correct ? (a) In a healthy woman, the fertilisation of egg by the sperm takes place in the oviduct (or Fallopian tube). (b) The oviducts of some women are blocked due to some reasons. Such women cannot produce babies in the normal way because the eggs released by their ovary cannot meet the sperms Such women who cannot produce babies are called sterile.
A. Only (a) is correct .	B. Only (b) is correct .	C. Both (a) and (b) is correct .	D. None of these .
Right Option : C
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Question : 2

In a healthy woman, the fertilisation of egg by the sperm takes place in the ____________________________.
A. Oviduct	B. Fallopian tube	C. Both (a) and (b) are correct.	D. None of these.
Right Option : C
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Question : 3

Which of the following are correct : (a) The in vitro fertilisation technique helps the woman with blocked oviducts in having babies. (b) The in vitro fertilisation technique helps the woman with having any kind of reproductive issues.
A. Only (a) is correct.		B. Only (b) is correct.
C. Both (a) and (b) are correct.		D. None of these.
Right Option : A
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