July 25th marks World IVF Day, commemorating the birth of Louise Brown. She was the very first baby to be conceived using IVF, and at the time was called a “test tube baby.” Louise weighed five pounds, 12 ounces at birth, and was delivered via cesarean section in 1978. Her mother had struggled with infertility for years before Louise’s birth, due to having blocked fallopian tubes. Once she became pregnant through IVF, though, she and her husband faced a lot of public and media scrutiny.
Several years later, the Browns had another child through IVF, Natalie, who went on to be the first IVF baby to have her own child. There were some previous concerns that IVF babies wouldn’t be able to become pregnant on their own, but that myth was dispelled when Natalie conceived a child naturally. A few years later, Louise also became a mother through natural conception.
While IVF is considered mainstream today, and there are hundreds of thousands of people born through the procedure, it was very controversial when Louise was born. Her birth made headlines, and also raised some ethical concerns and questions about the nature of conception and creation. Most of that has since settled, as the procedure continued to be used successfully over the years.
Now, World IVF Day focuses on raising awareness of infertility, and the importance of protecting the opportunities for couples who are having trouble conceiving naturally. The advances in assisted reproductive technology have been significant since Louise Brown was born, and they continue to improve all the time.
With the changes and improvements ongoing, more and more couples and individuals are able to start or expand their families. Not everyone who may be a candidate for IVF realizes the number of options they have.
By continuing to speak up about infertility, and talk about the opportunities available, it becomes easier to provide education and information to people who need it most. World IVF Day can make a difference in the lives of people who want to have children, and may not realize they have options to turn their dreams into reality.
We are proud to offer in vitro fertilization to our patients at the Fertility Institute of San Diego. IVF is a cutting-edge and highly effective process that requires several weeks of preparation. Because we are a boutique fertility clinic that provides individualized attention to our patients, Dr. Minoos Hosseinzadeh will guide you and personally care for you during every step of the IVF process. Schedule your complimentary virtual consultation today!
