Louise Brown

For those of you who are not familiar with the name Louise Brown, she is the first ever IVF baby. Now many people think that high levels of hormone drugs are the way that IVF has always been carried out, and that Natural cycle IVF is a new approach. It is in fact the reverse of this. Lousie Brown was actually conceived as a result of Natural IVF procedures.

Lesley Brown and her husband, John, had been unable to conceive for nine years. Lesley was diagnosed with bilateral fallopian tube obstruction. In 1976, she was referred to Dr. Patrick Steptoe. He recommended that she try a new experimental procedure that would bypass the fallopian tubes blockage completely.

Lesley underwent a laparoscopy whereby a single mature egg was aspirated from one of her ovaries. John's sperm was added to the egg in the laboratory under the direction of Robert G. Edwards. A few days later a developing embryo was placed into Lesley's uterus.

At 11:47 p.m. July 25, 1978, Louise Joy Brown was delivered by cesarean section. She weighed five pounds 12 ounces and had blonde hair and blue eyes.

Louise has just celebrated her 30th birthday. The world celebrated the 30th anniversary of a new era. The era of extra corporeal assisted reproduction. History will regard that moment 30 years ago with as much awe and importance as the first moon landing.

On December 20th, 2006, Louise gave birth to her own child, Cameron John Mullinder. She conceived without fertility treatment of any kind on the six month that she and her husband tried. The delivery was by cesarean section since the baby was breech.