In-vitro fertilization is a fertility technique where eggs are surgically removed from the ovaries after the mother is given fertility drugs and then are exposed to the husband's semen in a culture dish. The fertilized eggs are then implanted in the uterus of a woman during normal ovulation with the hope they will implant and come to term. However, the success rate for the procedure is usually no better than 50% and the procedure is also expensive.
In-vitro is usually used when a couple is having trouble conceiving a child due to defects in the path between the ovaries and the uterus.
The technique was first used successfully in the 1970s and Louise Brown of England was the world's first "test tube" baby.
On House, the patient in the episode Cane & Able was the result of in-vitro fertilization and the procedure resulted in Chimerism.