In 2020, my husband and I started our podcast, Into the Pray, and over the course of several months, we hosted conversations all about the sanctity of life, considering topics such as abortion, IVF, and contraception. During this period, God began to reveal to me the biblical view of fertility, sex, and His will for our lives. One repeated verse throughout Scripture became especially significant. God used it to teach me what His design meant for us personally as a couple struggling to conceive and prayerfully weighing the role of modern medicine.

In early 2021, I began a new Bible reading plan and found myself in the book of Genesis where the stories of Hagar, Sarah, Leah, and Rachel opened my eyes to just how much the Bible has to say about fertility and conception. The account of Leah and Rachel in Genesis 29 – 30 is especially rich with guidance, if we are willing to study it carefully. This study led me to two main questions I needed to consider prayerfully:

1. When does God grant conception to women in the Bible?
2. When is medical intervention appropriate today (if at all) when trying to conceive?

Around this time, we received a message on social media from a couple who had pursued a modified version of IVF (and one that we were considering), which had resulted in a pregnancy for them. They asked, “Can we write off all IVF as evil?” At first, the question seemed pointed (and even a little odd) coming from a couple who were now benefitting from the procedure. Yet I recognized it as God encouraging me to seek a definitive conclusion about IVF.

Until that point, I found it difficult to argue against a modified form of IVF, where embryos were not frozen. And yet, I now felt the need to give a clear answer. The idea that something might be acceptable for some but not for others no longer seemed like a faithful or sufficient conclusion.

As I continued searching the Scriptures and writing out passages related to fertility, one verse suddenly stood out, one I realized I had overlooked before. The more I reflected, the more surprised I was that it had never struck me before. Like the Sadducees whom Jesus rebuked for missing the plain words about the resurrection, I realised that a key phrase about conception had been before me all along.

In many passages concerning conception, the phrase “knew his wife” or “went into her” appears. At first glance, this might seem like an unnecessary detail, almost a redundant detail. And yet, we know that every word of Scripture is God-breathed and given for our instruction. This phrase is used in the stories of Eve, Leah, Rachel, Hannah, Ruth, Bathsheba and others and in many of these cases, there is a clear statement that God opened the womb and blessed the union. This demonstrates clearly to us that sexual union within the marriage covenant was significant enough to be recorded by the biblical authors. This is not an insignificant detail. God knew that, in time, even Christians would treat marriage and sex as something disposable or unnecessary.

Of course, the Bible also contains examples of conception occurring within sinful or disordered contexts. Genesis, in particular, can be a difficult read in this regard. The stories of Sarah, Leah, Rachel, Tamar, and others show how God’s design for marriage and family was bypassed often with terrible consequences. Yet Scripture never sanitises these accounts. The Bible tells the truth about the sinful realities of life, giving us not just stories, but warnings and guidance. It is clear that while Bilhah and Zilpah conceived, their circumstances do not justify the means. God’s divine blessing is never present in such situations.

In light of this, how should we view medical intervention through a biblical lens? If Scripture shows us that conception is designed to occur within the covenant of marriage (through the act of sexual union) then any approach to fertility must uphold that framework. After much prayer and searching of the Word, I came to see that the use of medicine, when rightly ordered under God’s design, can be a good and helpful gift. Procedures, surgeries, or medications that support the natural process of conception between husband and wife, without bypassing or replacing the union itself, can rightly be used to aid conception. For example, treating hormonal imbalances, unblocking fallopian tubes, or addressing underlying health issues through ethical and restorative means can all be ways in which God uses modern medicine to bring life. These interventions do not replace God’s design but support it, and when used in faith and dependence on Him, they can be seen as part of His gracious provision.

Scripture reveals clearly just how deeply God cares, not just about the value of human life, but also how that life begins. While not every question has a simple answer, the foundation is clear: conception is a sacred gift, intended to occur within the covenant of marriage. While we will never find words like “IVF” or “IUI” in the Bible, God is not silent on these matters and as we submit our desires and decisions to Him, we can trust that He will guide us through the tension between modern medicine and eternal truth. For couples facing infertility there is hope found in the Lord who opens and closes the womb and medicine, when aligned with God’s design, can be a blessing but it must always serve and not replace the Author of Life. May we be a people who seek His will for lives above all by holding fast to the authority of Scripture even when it challenges our deepest desires.