In vitro fertilization (IVF) the sperms are added to the oocytes in a test tube or petri dish. The oocytes passes through maturation procedure, fertilize with spermatozoa and the embryo allowed to grow until few cycles of cell divisions, outside the animal body.
The embryo can then be used to be transferred to the recipient animal.
In vitro fertilization has been done in animal husbandry for a long time, and has been successfully on farm animals such as sheep, goats and cattle.
The first report of successful in vitro maturation (IVM) and IVF of cattle oocytes leading to the birth of calves that of Hanada and associates in Japan in 1986, using calcium ionosphere to capacitate bull sperm: the three calves born represented 21% of the embryos transferred to recipient animals.
IVF has been successful in all farm animals, but it has proven difficult in horses and has been commercially applied most frequently to cattle, especially to females with infertility problems.
What is In Vitro Fertilization?
