On July 25, 1978, Louise Joy Brown was born in the United Kingdom. Her birth became a global sensation as she was the first baby born through in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Brown’s parents, Leslie and Peter, faced infertility due to Leslie’s blocked fallopian tubes.
In November 1977, Leslie underwent an experimental IVF procedure. A mature egg was retrieved from her ovary and combined with Peter’s sperm in a laboratory dish to create an embryo.
Days later, the embryo was implanted into Leslie’s uterus. Nine months later, their daughter was born via Cesarean section.
This groundbreaking IVF treatment was a collaborative effort between British scientist Robert Edwards and gynecologist Patrick Steptoe. Steptoe delivered Brown at Oldham and District General Hospital in Manchester, England, and gave her the middle name Joy.
Brown’s birth received widespread publicity, a decision that faced criticism. However, Brown has defended her parents and the attention surrounding her scientific birth.
“My parents didn’t have a choice about making it public,” Louise previously told Time. “If they didn’t, they would have had people asking ‘Why can’t we see her? What’s wrong with her?'”
She explained that Steptoe and Edwards needed the success of her birth to be public knowledge.
“Had there been anything at all wrong with me, it would have been the end of IVF,” she said.
Following Louise’s birth, the Browns had a second daughter named Natalie through IVF.
Both Louise and Natalie later had children of their own through natural means.
After the success of Brown’s birth, IVF gradually gained traction. The first IVF baby in the United States was born in 1981.
Today, over 6 million babies have been born through IVF, according to the Science Museum.
In the United States, the average cost of an IVF cycle is between $15,000 and $30,000, according to Forbes.
The success rate of IVF varies significantly based on the age of the woman undergoing the procedure. For women under 35, the success rate on the first attempt is 55.1%, according to a 2020 CDC report. The success rate declines as a woman’s age increases.
Brown continues to be an advocate for IVF. She frequently gives public speeches about her story and has written a book titled “Louise Brown: My Life as the World’s First Test-Tube Baby.”