IVF stands for which medical procedure?

• A. In vivo fertilization
• B. In vitro fertilization
• C. Intrauterine fertilization
• D. Intravenous fertilization

Answer: (B)

Understanding what “in vitro” means helps explain this. In vitro means outside the living body, typically in a lab dish. IVF, or in vitro fertilization, uses that idea: eggs are retrieved and fertilized by sperm in a laboratory setting, and the resulting embryos are then placed into the uterus. The other phrases describe fertilization ways inside the body or misuse a term (intravenous relates to IV administration, not fertilization). So the procedure described by IVF is fertilization outside the body, hence “in vitro fertilization.”