The first fourteen days.

1 in 6 UK couples are infertile and more and more are turning to IVF treatment as a means to conceive despite possible limitations to research which have been proposed in a parliamentary bill. The bill could permit research on human embryos during the first 14 days after their creation, or ban it altogether. This programme looks at how and why such research is done, interviewing doctors, researchers and parents and explaining the scientific processes. There is only a small chance that embryos created by IVF will lead to pregnancy, and researchers have discovered that the reason for this is that the eggs may contain abnormalities. One doctor has also discovered that making a small slit in the egg doubles the chances of pregnancy. Ethical issues are also discussed; whether life begins at conception and whether egg selection should be allowed to prevent genetic disabilities being passed through to children.