Louise Brown was the first IVF baby born in England on July 25, 1978, to her parents Lesley and John Brown. With the help of Dr. Robert Edwards (an embryologist) and Dr. Patrick Steptoe (a gynecological surgeon), Louise was born through the successful use of in vitro fertilization (IVF), a technique where the egg is fertilized outside the mother’s body before being implanted into the uterus.
The Story Behind
Lesley and John Brown were a couple who had been trying to have a baby for 9
years, but they had repeatedly faced failures because Lesley had blockages in
her fallopian tubes, making natural fertilization impossible.
The couple then met Dr. Robert Edwards and Dr. Patrick Steptoe, leading to the
retrieval of eggs and in vitro fertilization. There had been 64 embryo
transfers between 1971 and 1977. In November 1977, the pregnancy was successfully confirmed, and on July 25, 1978, Louise Brown was born at Oldham Hospital in England via C-section, weighing 2.6 kg and in healthy, normal condition.
The world was amazed by the birth of Louise Brown as the first IVF baby. She
grew up healthy and lived a normal life. Louise became a symbol of hope for
infertile couples and paved the way for the development of reproductive
technology.
I’m just an ordinary person, born in an extraordinary way.
— Louise Brown
In supporting the advancement of IVF, Esco contributes through the development of
IVF technologies that assist couples in having a baby through IVF procedures. These
include equipment for safe sample handling, embryo culture, and time-lapse
imaging, to improve IVF success rates and accessibility. Esco remains committed
to ensuring that every couple has the opportunity to fulfill their dream of
parenthood.
