The First IVF Baby 1978 – A Different Start to Life

In 1978,  TIME  magazine's July issue wrote:

"The headlines... called it the miracle and baby of the century. Some commentators celebrated the approaching birth as a modern medical miracle on a par with the first kidney and heart transplants. Theologians (and some) scientists warned of disturbing moral, ethical and social implications.

In vitro  fertilisation  (IVF) refers to a procedure in which egg cells are fertilised by sperm outside the body. The prospective mother receives hormone supplementation to produce multiple eggs. The doctor then retrieves the eggs by passing a needle through the vagina into the woman's ovaries. Sperm and eggs are brought together in a laboratory dish containing a supportive medium that nourishes the eggs. After a period of time (two or three days), the doctor transfers early-stage embryos (for example, consisting of eight cells) into the woman's uterus, and hormone supplementation (such as progesterone) continues for a while to support the uterine lining and facilitate embryo survival. Although not an official term, the babies eventually born have been called  test-tube babies.

• Couples experiencing infertility because damaged fallopian tubes prevent eggs from passing from the ovaries to the uterus may choose IVF to facilitate pregnancy. 
• In some cases of male infertility, a sperm cell can be injected directly into an egg using  intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Usually, more than one embryo is transferred into the uterus to increase the likelihood that at least one will develop. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)  can be used to screen embryos for chromosomal abnormalities before they are placed in the uterus. Embryos can also be frozen and stored for later use.

On 25 July 1978, the first IVF baby,  Louise Brown,  was born as a result of pioneering IVF methods developed by British physician Patrick Steptoe and physiologist Robert Edwards. Since then, more than a million babies have been born through IVF. The Roman Catholic Church opposes IVF on the grounds that it separates sexual and reproductive acts.

Description of the article image: Louise Brown, the first baby born through IVF in 1978. The laboratory dish from which the doctor transferred embryos into the mother's uterus for her to develop.

Historical figures mentioned in the article: Patrick Christopher Steptoe (1913–1988), Robert Geoffrey Edwards (b. 1925), Louise Joy Brown (b. 1978)

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