On 25th July in the year 1978, Louise Joy Brown became the first child to be born using in-vitro fertilisation, commonly called IVF. Since then, IVF has emerged as a glimmer of hope for couples who wish to become parents but are struggling with infertility. As a result, Brown's birthday is honoured as World Embryologist Day each year. This day is called World IVF Day.
On July 25, 1978, in Oldham, England, Louise Joy Brown entered the world as the first "test-tube baby." Her birth was a result of the pioneering efforts of British gynecologist Patrick Steptoe and physiologist Robert Edwards. IVF revolutionized fertility treatments by allowing couples struggling with infertility to conceive using assisted reproductive technologies. Louise's birth not only brought hope to millions of couples worldwide but also sparked a new era of medical advancements that continue to shape the field of reproductive science today. Her historic arrival stands as a testament to human perseverance and the potential of medical innovation to change lives.
How does IVF work?
In this process, a woman's eggs are removed from her body and fertilised with sperm. The embryo is then placed inside the uterus. The subsequent pregnancy cycle then begins.
The first IVF child was born in India in 1998 in the city of Agra. Utsav was his name.
Millions of kids have been born thanks to IVF technology, but there are still some misconceptions about it. The most common one is that IVF infants have birth abnormalities and deformities. This is totally inaccurate, and infants born via IVF have the same chances of developing any birth defects as babies born via traditional methods.
Another widespread misconception is that all IVF births result in caesarean sections. Doctors assert that IVF pregnancies are identical to naturally conceived ones and that the treatment has no adverse effect on the likelihood of vaginal delivery.