This Day in History: 25 July 2020
25 July 1978
42 years ago, today, the world's first baby to be conceived by in vitro fertilisation was born in Manchester, England, to Lesley and Peter Brown. The healthy baby was delivered shortly before midnight by caesarean section and was named Louise Joy Brown. The couple had a second daughter several years later, named Natalie, with the same procedure. Natalie would later become the first IVF baby to give birth to her own child. This was done naturally, easing some concerns that female IVF babies would be unable to conceive naturally. Louise Brown also gave birth to a boy, Cameron John Mullinder, in December 2006, who was also conceived naturally.
Before giving birth to Louise, Lesley Brown had suffered years of infertility due to her blocked fallopian tubes. She underwent a then-experimental IVF procedure in November 1977, where a mature egg was removed from one of her ovaries and combined with her husband's sperm to form an embryo. This was implanted into her uterus a few days later. Once the media learned of the pregnancy, the Browns faced intense public scrutiny, and Louise's birth made headlines around the world, raising various legal and ethical questions. Despite this, today, IVF is considered a primary medical treatment for infertility. Around the world, hundreds of thousands of children have been conceived through the method.
Want to find out more about the first 'test tube' baby? Click here for more information, or click here for more about the history of IVF treatment.
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