Textbook of Clinical Embryology by Coward Kevin

In the three decades since the birth of Louise Brown, the first child conceived using in-vitro fertilization (IVF), the field of clinical embryology has undergone remarkable growth and evolution. The discipline has come to embrace a wide-variety of specialized laboratory techniques, collectively falling under the umbrella-term assisted reproductive technology (ART). Worldwide, over 1 million ART cycles are carried out each year and over 5 million babies are estimated to have been born as a direct consequence. There is no doubt that ART represents one of the most successful interventions in any field of medicine. It has radically altered the way in which most forms of infertility are treated and bought hope to millions of infertile and sub-fertile couples around the world. However, it must be acknowledged that, despite the obvious successes, significant technical challenges still remain and scientific knowledge in some areas of clinical embryology is limited.