With traditional IVF, eggs must mature before they can be taken from the donor's ovaries.

Infertility affects about 6.1 million people in the United States, including roughly 10 percent of men and women of reproductive age, according to eMedicine.

Twenty percent of infertility cases are due to an issue with only the male partner. Forty to 50 percent of cases deal with only the female partner. In the remaining 30 to 40 percent of cases, both partners are the cause.

In order for a woman to conceive, each intricate detail in the conception process must go right. The woman's pituitary hormones must stimulate the ovaries to release an egg, which has to travel through the fallopian tubes and be fertilized within 24 hours after being released.

According to the Mayo Clinic, female causes of infertility include fallopian tube damage or blockage, ovulation disorders, elevated prolactin, early menopause, or benign uterine fibroids.

Most causes of male infertility are related to a difficulty in sperm production. Problems typically include irregular shaped sperm, a low sperm concentration, an undescended testicle, genetic defects, or infection. The problem may also occur in the delivery of the sperm, or in lifestyle habits, such as obesity, alcohol and drugs, stress, or malnutrition.

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	IVM News 8's Crestina Chavez explores a new, cheaper method of fertilization.

Developed in 1981, in vitro fertilization (IVF) begins with women taking hormones to produce extra eggs.

The man's sperm and the woman's egg are then placed in a laboratory dish, where fertilization takes place. Once fertilized, the embryo is put into the woman's uterus to develop naturally.

Typically, doctors place two to four embryos in the woman's uterus at one time. The national success rate is between 30 and 40 percent for women under 38, according to the New York Daily News.

In vitro maturation (IVM) is a technique very similar to IVF. During the procedure, the eggs are taken from the woman, placed into a dish, and fertilized with a man's sperm.

With traditional IVF, eggs must mature before they can be taken from the donor's ovaries. This requires hormonal drugs, which is the primary reason IVF patients experience discomfort.

	In vitro maturation (IVM) is a technique very similar to IVF.

IVM allows the eggs to mature after they have been collected. The first pregnancy resulting from IVM occurred last year. Its success rate is believed to be lower than IVF.

Clinical trials have deemed IVM safe for use. It is also a much cheaper option over IVF. At one New York Clinic, IVF costs $7,900 with an additional $4,000 to $8,000 in laboratory and drug fees.

The same clinic offers IVM for $4,800 plus a few hundred dollars for drug fees.