Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system that impairs one of the body's most basic functions: the conception of children. In the United States, infertility affects about million women and their partners, or about 12% of the reproductive-aged population. For many of these couples, the answer lies in conventional medical therapy, such as drug treatment or surgery to repair reproductive organs. Since 1978, ART has provided another solution for many would-be parents. ART is defined as all treatments or procedures that involve manipulating eggs and sperm in vitro to help a woman become pregnant. This involves several different methodologies, the most widely used being in vitro fertilization.
