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IVF at 40. Louise Brown: My life as the world’s first ‘test tube baby’

IVF at 40. Louise Brown: My life as the world’s first ‘test tube baby’


Original article: https://inews.co.uk/essentials/lifestyle/people/ivf-40-louise-brown-life-worlds-first-test-tube-baby/



On 10 November 1977, almost 40 years ago, the world’s first embryologist Jean Purdy observed that an embryo in a petri dish had divided into eight cells. It was implanted in Lesley Brown, and after nine years trying and failing to conceive, she became pregnant. 38 weeks later, her daughter Louise Joy Brown was born. She was the first of more than six and a half million – and counting – babies born by IVF. Only a member of royalty receives the level of attention that birth of the world’s first ‘test tube baby’, attracted. In hospital in Oldham, photographers hoping for a picture of the newborn triggered a bomb scare, meaning patients had to be temporarily evacuated. And when Louise’s father John first met his daughter, who’d undergone at birth more than 60 tests to check she was ‘normal’, the hospital corridors were lined with police.




Once home, more than 100 journalists crowded around her parents’ Bristol house. Newspapers ran stories headlined ‘Baby of the Century’. But despite being thrown so very dramatically into the public gaze, Louise says that her parents were simply happy to have their daughter. “My mum just wanted a baby, and no matter what, she would have done it,” Louise believes.


Louise says that her mother didn’t “truly realise” that this was a world first until she was heavily pregnant. “When she saw Patrick [Steptoe], there were mums with babies and pregnant women in the waiting room, so she assumed it had worked before.” Her mother kept all the postbags of cards that were sent congratulating the couple, and the “weird” mail too, including one package including a plastic foetus and broken test tube: “A lot of Catholic objection – and apparently I could read things with my mind and teleport stuff.” It has taken Louise decades to feel entirely comfortable in her role of being famous by birth. “When I was younger it could play on my mind that everyone knows my name,” she says. “But now I like raising awareness and really enjoy meeting people who have been helped, indirectly, by Patrick and Bob’s [Robert Edwards] work.”


She hopes that one day, people everywhere with fertility problems will be offered an equal chance to become a parent, which she admits is “going to take a lot of hard work”. She spoke in European Parliament in February about parity of IVF treatment across the continent, rather than it being a lottery of geography. “Everyone should be entitled to have the chance to be a mum,” she believes. “Everyone should be offered the same amount of tries at IVF, it shouldn’t be determined by where you live.” She is disappointed that Bristol is cutting funding for fertility treatments as it takes on average three rounds of IVF for treatment to be successful.

Louise was able to conceive both of her sons without fertility treatment, and believes that until you’ve been put in the situation of not being able to have children, “you can’t understand it.” Her mother’s fertility problems were only recognised when she went to the doctor with depression, and her GP tried to discover the root cause. Today, the practice that seemed so controversial 40 years ago is commonplace. “It’s opened things up for couples that need help, same sex couples, these are all positives,” Louise says. “It’s mind blowing.”

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13 comments:

  1. UnknownNovember 20, 2017 at 12:10 AM

    with your roots and herbs you have enveloped my frown face with smile, slung to stand,tube tie burned alive, i used your herbs and root according to the instruction given it materialized,i have conceive now and delivered a baby boy,from letter A-z can't speak how joyful i'm. contact him via on facebook (Oduduwa Ajakaye)

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownOctober 25, 2018 at 2:08 AM

    Hello there, Thank you for posting such a beautiful blog. The topic you have chosen is really a good topic for creating awareness and acknowledging people as well. You have mentioned all the important facts and that's the most impressive thing about this article. Also you didn't go off topic which makes on stay on your page and honestly it is worth spending time reading your blogs. Being a IVF Treatment Consultant I would like to say, If your attempt to conceive the second time around not going as smoothly as your previous pregnancy? You may be going through Secondary Infertility. Luckily for you, IVF Spring, Mumbai, is one of the Leading Fertility Clinics in India for couples going through secondary infertility. By conducting thorough examinations of all our patients, we determine the exact cause of infertility, and work towards treating it. All our doctors are experts in their respective fields, and work together to devise the appropriate treatment plan customized to your condition. With a counseling session, we help you explore your fertility treatment options, and select the ideal one for your case. This two-way communication ensures that there is a sense of trust and understanding between doctors and patients, and there are no doubts left hanging before, during, or after the treatment. This unique approach of ours enhances the fertility treatment experience for our patients, resulting in our 96% satisfaction rate.

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  3. Global Star SurrogacyNovember 3, 2018 at 4:39 AM

    A big Hello to the Author, just read your blog and just got chills! What a beautiful, affirming interaction. Thank you for posting such a beautiful blog. The topic you have chosen is really unique and it was much needed for creating awareness about it. Something to keep in mind is that the birth mother is legally considered the mother for all intents and purposes, until the intended parents adopt the child, or a parental order is filed in court. Moreover, the law can also waive off contracts signed between both parties. It is necessary to ensure that the surrogate knows what she is signing up for, so as to prevent any last minute changes. Love it! I will miss hearing from you when you take your break, but I hope that you continue having these moments to balance out the hard ones. Global Star Surrogacy is a reputed IVF and Surrogacy Agency, which has seen incredible success rates with surrogacy all across the world. With an organized and diligent method, we screen all our surrogates to ensure that they are physically and mentally strong to go through with the process smoothly. Consult Surrogacy in Canada for a smooth and hassle free surrogacy experience.

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  4. sumita sofatNovember 16, 2018 at 1:47 AM

    If anyone want the best male infertility treatment in Punjab then at Dr. Sumita Sofat Hospital, you can get the treatment with high success rates. You can get the quality treatment at low prices with laser hatching techniques.

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  5. Amber SavistaDecember 23, 2018 at 1:46 PM

    Louise was great a gift of science. Still we remembering that. So happy for this great success.
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  6. sathyadasDecember 23, 2018 at 10:02 PM

    Thank you for sharing your test tube life story with us.Being MoM is the greatest blessing in everyone life.Get fertility treatments with low cost in India with advanced technology.

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  7. ivf centreFebruary 1, 2019 at 11:11 PM


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  8. Amber SavistaApril 26, 2019 at 1:08 AM

    Louise you're the great gift for modern science. I like your journey. It's really a great invention for all.
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  9. layaMay 28, 2019 at 2:46 AM

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  10. phaniJune 10, 2019 at 1:03 AM

    Thank you for the article. You have given very good information. Check out for latest test tube baby centers in hyderabad

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  11. ivf centreJuly 4, 2019 at 11:17 PM

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  12. phaniJuly 23, 2019 at 11:15 PM

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  13. rishiAugust 5, 2019 at 10:46 PM

    Very nice blog post ,Thank you for sharing the good information and kindly visit our website test tube baby clinic in medak

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