Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Definition

All fertility-related treatments in which either eggs or embryos are handled. The most common type of ART is in vitro fertilization (IVF), which involves collecting eggs from ovaries and fertilizing them with sperm in a lab. One or more fertilized eggs—called "embryos"—are then transferred to a uterus, hopefully resulting in a pregnancy. IVF can be done with or without the assistance of gamete donors (eggs and sperm) and surrogates.