In vitro fertilization (IVF) is used when a woman has blocked or absent fallopian tubes or when a man has a low sperm count or for other causes of infertility not responding to conventional treatment. In IVF, drugs are given to stimulate multiple eggs to develop, and then eggs are removed from the ovary and mixed with sperm outside the body in a petri dish. After about 24 hours, the eggs are examined to see if they've been fertilized and are growing. After an additional one to four days, some of these fertilized eggs (embryos) are then placed in the woman's uterus. According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the average cost of an IVF treatment in the United States is about $12,400.