By Sarah Holt

When I first heard there were 18 ways to make a baby, I was flabbergasted. Dr. Jamie Grifo, a specialist in reproductive endocrinology at New York University Medical Center, casually mentioned the fact in an interview that I taped with him for this NOVA program.

Imagine my amazement when I learned that there were actually many more than 18.

Before producing the film, I probably would have been surprised to hear there were more than three or four. Like most people, I was familiar with artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization and frozen embryos, but not much more. While working on the program, I had come to have a layperson's understanding of some of the latest techniques, which have futuristic names like Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection and Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis. Nevertheless, I was initially hard-pressed to come up with 18 ways.

Eventually I did, and I ran the list past Dr. Grifo to ensure it was accurate. It was, and here it is.
Note: Click on highlighted terms for a definition.

1. Natural sex
2. Artificial insemination -- of mother with father's sperm
3. Artificial insemination -- of mother with donor sperm
4. Artificial insemination -- with egg and sperm donors, using surrogate mother
5. In vitro fertilization (IVF) -- using egg and sperm of parents
6. IVF -- with Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
7. IVF -- with frozen embryos
8. IVF -- with Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)
9. IVF -- with egg donor
10. IVF -- with sperm donor
11. IVF -- with egg and sperm donor
12. IVF -- with surrogate using parents' egg and sperm
13. IVF -- with surrogate and egg donor
14. IVF -- with surrogate and sperm donor
15. IVF -- with surrogate using her egg, sperm from baby's father
16. IVF -- with surrogate using egg and sperm donors*
17. Cytoplasmic transfer**
18. Nuclear transfer and cloning

*In this case, the newborn essentially has five parents: the birth parents who provided the egg and sperm, the surrogate mother who carried the baby, and the parents who will raise the baby.

**The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recently asked the specialists that perform this experimental procedure to submit it for FDA approval, so it is currently not available.