World's first test tube baby, Louise Brown: 30 years old

I did a write up on this over at Womb Within (Louise Brown, world’s first test-tube baby turns 30 years old) yesterday but I think it bears repeating. This miracle - a successful pregnancy from in vitro fertilization (IVF) was the first and she was a news sensation. I remember the debates and the discussions about whether her birth should ever have occurred. There were dire predictions from some camps, but if I remember correctly, the opinion was more supportive than critical.

Certainly, IVF plays a huge role in reproductive medicine 30 years later. There's no longer an issue of if it should be done (in terms of ethics) but if it could and should be done in terms of financial and emotional toll it can take.

There remains the debate as to whether public funds should be put towards this type of health care and whether the inability to bear children is truly a medical problem.

While those questions remain, Louise Brown's place in history is undeniable. She and her sister Natalie, who is now 26 and was also conceived via IVF, are both mothers of their own naturally conceived children. In fact, Natalie's place in history is that she is the first IVF baby to have a child of her own. Happy birthday Louise!

Today at Help My Hurt:

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Today at Womb Within:

ABCs of pregnancy: D is for…
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Have you been told you can’t have a VBAC?
Video: month 8 of pregnancy - you’re getting there!

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