A clinician prepares cells for in vitro fertilization, or IVF, the treatment for infertility. In the future, it could be joined by IVG, in vitro gametogenesis, a new process that could turn any cell first into a stem cell and then into a sperm or egg cell. Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Light micrograph of human egg cells and sperm in a petri dish during in vitro fertilization. ZEPHYR/Science Source hide caption
In states that outlaw abortion, some patients and health care workers worry that in vitro fertilization could be in legal jeopardy too. Sebastian Kaulitzki/Getty Images/Science Photo Library hide caption
Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Trump's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, meets with legislators last week on Capitol Hill. Greg Nash/Pool via AP hide caption
Due to the coronavirus, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine has recommended suspending new treatments. Morsa Images/Getty Images hide caption
When Heather Woock was conceived, her mom sought the help of a fertility specialist. What happened next was not what she was led to believe. But it took three decades for it to come to light. Leah Klafczynski for NPR hide caption
A light micrograph of a primitive human embryo, composed of four cells, following the initial mitotic divisions that ultimately transform a single-cell organism into one composed of millions of cells. Science Photo Libra/Getty Images hide caption
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán addresses the media during a wide-ranging international press conference on Thursday in Budapest, Hungary. Zsolt Szigetvary/AP hide caption
A Swiss study tracking the health of a group of children conceived via assisted reproductive technology found that a surprising number developed premature aging of their blood vessels. Now in their teens, 15 percent have hypertension. Steve Debenport/Getty Images hide caption
A scientist from the Nadiya Clinic in Kiev, Ukraine inserts a needle into a fertilized egg to extract the DNA of a man and woman trying to have a baby. The clinic is combining the DNA from three different people to create babies for women who are infertile. Rob Stein/NPR hide caption
The genes in mitochondria, which are the powerhouses in human cells, can cause fatal inherited disease. But replacing the bad genes may cause other health problems. Getty Images/Science Photo Library hide caption
Cleveland Clinic surgeons in February transplanted a uterus from a deceased donor into 26-year-old Lindsey McFarland, who was born without one. Though the experimental surgery was initially thought successful, a raging infection forced removal of the organ within weeks. Cleveland Clinic hide caption
The Keils play with their twins, Matthew and Faith, at their home near Parker, Colo., in 2012. Ed Andrieski/AP hide caption
In 2000, first-time moms were, on average, 25 years old when they gave birth. In 2014, they were a little over 26. iStockphoto hide caption
The puppies in this litter are the first ever born through IVF Mike Carroll/Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine hide caption
A surgical team at Sooam Biotech in Seoul, South Korea, injects cloned embryos into the uterus of an anesthetized dog. Rob Stein/NPR hide caption
Eggs may be more vulnerable to freezing than embryos, but that's just one factor that affects the odds of having a baby with frozen eggs. Jean-Paul Chassenet/Science Source hide caption
Frozen sperm straws and embryos are stored in liquid nitrogen, in a process known as cryopreservation. One question confronting the courts: Should embryos such as these be treated as property, or as children subject to custody action? Veronique Burger/Science Source hide caption
In the technique known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection, a fertility specialist uses a tiny needle to inject sperm into an egg cell. Mauro Fermariello/Science Source hide caption
Along with sperm, the in vitro procedure adds fresh mitochondria extracted from less mature cells in the same woman's ovaries. The hope is to revitalize older eggs with these extra "batteries." But the FDA still wants proof that the technique works and is safe. Chris Nickels for NPR hide caption