Artificial insemination 
A procedure that places sperm in a woman's reproductive tract without intercourse.

ART (assisted reproductive technology) 
Fertility procedures and treatments involving the handling of human eggs and sperm for the purpose of helping women become pregnant.

Assisted hatching 
An in vitro procedure in which the zona pellucida of an embryo is perforated by chemical, mechanical, or laser-assisted methods to assist separation of the blastocyst from the zona pellucida.

Cervix 
The opening between the uterus and the vagina. The cervical mucus plugs the cervical canal and normally prevents foreign materials from entering the reproductive tract. The cervix remains closed during pregnancy and dilates during labor and delivery to allow the baby to be born.

Cryopreservation 
Freezing embryos, eggs or sperm in liquid nitrogen to keep them viable.

Donor egg, embryo or sperm 
Provided for ART procedures or artificial insemination; donors usually receive a fee and relinquish rights to any resulting children.

Egg retrieval 
The egg is removed from the ovary by one of two methods. One uses an ultrasound probe and a suction device inserted through the vagina. The other, laparoscopy, uses a thin, optical tube inserted through an incision near the navel. The egg is removed by suction.

Embryo 
A fertilized egg that has undergone one or more divisions.

Endometriosis 
Presence of endometrial tissue in abnormal locations.

Estrogen 
A hormone produced primarily by the ovaries until menopause that is necessary for normal menstrual function

Fertility 
The state of being fertile; capable of producing offspring.

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) 
A pituitary hormone that controls estrogen production by the ovaries.

Gamete 
A reproductive cell, either a sperm or egg.

Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer (GIFT) 
The direct transfer of a mixture of sperm and eggs into the fallopian tube. Fertilization takes place inside the tube. GIFT is used in women with healthy fallopian tubes.

Gestational carrier 
A woman who carries a pregnancy to term for a couple. The egg and sperm of the couple are used, therefore the carrier has no genetic relation to the child.

GIFT (gamete intrafallopian transfer)
Procedure that involves removing eggs from the ovary, combing them with sperm and using a laparoscope to assist in placing the unfertilized eggs and sperm in the woman's fallopian tube through a small incision in the abdomen.

Hormones  
Chemicals that stimulate or regulate the activity of cells or organs

ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) 
Procedure in which a single sperm is injected directly into an egg; mainly used for male infertility problems.

Infertility 
A term used to describe a couple's inability to achieve pregnancy despite having intercourse for a year or more, without using birth control. A diagnosis of infertility means that becoming pregnant may be a challenge rather than an impossibility.  Note that infertility differs from sterility. Being sterile means you're unable to conceive a child.

Insemination 
The injection of sperm into the uterus or cervix.

Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) 
A single sperm is injected into an egg.

IVF (in vitro fertilization) 
Procedure that involves removing eggs from the ovaries and fertilizing them outside of the woman's body. The resulting embryos are then transferred into the woman's uterus through the cervix.

Multifetal pregnancy reduction 
Procedure used to decrease the number of fetuses a woman carries and improve the survival chances of the remaining fetuses. Some pregnancy reductions occur naturally.

Ovary 
One of usually two organs that produce ova (eggs) and secrete estrogen and progesterone.

Ovulation induction 
Sometimes called "super-ovulation." The woman takes drugs that stimulate her ovaries to produce several mature eggs rather than just one. In some women, one cycle can yield more than 20 eggs.

Ovulation 
The release of the egg (ovum) from the ovarian follicle.

Ovum 
Egg released by the ovary.

Preimplantation genetic testing 
Procedure that allows the embryo to be tested for chromosomal abnormalities. A single cell is removed from a developing embryo and tested. Any abnormal embryos can be removed and only healthy ones selected and implanted in the woman's uterus.

Prostate 
The prostate is the gland in men that manufactures fluid for semen. About the size of a walnut, it's located between a man's bladder and his rectum and surrounds the urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder).

Sterility 
An irreversible condition that prevents conception.

Sub-fertility 
Another name for infertility.

Surrogate parent 
A woman is inseminated with the male partner's sperm. She is the genetic mother of the child.

Testicles (testes; singular testis) 
Part of the male reproductive system. The testicles manufacture the male hormones, including testosterone, and produce sperm, the male reproductive cells. The testicles are located inside the scrotum, the loose sac of skin that hangs below the penis.

Testosterone 
The male hormone that is essential for sperm production and the development of male characteristics, including muscle mass and strength, fat distribution, bone mass, and sex drive

Uterus 
The small, hollow, pear-shaped organ in a woman's pelvis. This is the organ in which a fetus develops.

Vagina 
The tube that joins the cervix (the lower part of uterus, or womb) to the outside of the body. It is also known as the birth canal.

ZIFT (zygote intrafallopian transfer) 
Procedure in which eggs are collected from the ovaries and fertilized outside of the body. A laparoscope is used to assist in placing the fertilized egg (zygote) into the woman's fallopian tube through small incision in the abdomen.