Normally eggs are fertilized in the fallopian tubes. But if the tubes are obstructed and surgery cannot restore their normal structure, eggs can be removed from the ovaries and fertilized with the partner's sperm in a laboratory. The resulting embryos are then transferred to the uterus. Ripe eggs are removed from the ovaries, mixed with sperm and immediately injected into one or both fallopian tubes.
Fertilization occurs naturally in the fallopian tubes.
Embryos are stored in liquid nitrogen at a very low temperature. In the future, the embryos can be warmed and transferred to the woman's uterus, offering another chance for pregnancy. The first pregnancies through the ART program occurred the following month, and the first babies were born in January 1991. The director of the UC Davis ART Program, Dr. Stephen Boyers, served as the director of the ART Program at Yale University before joining UC Davis. He has more than a decade of experience with IVF-ET, GIFT and related technologies.