In vitro fertilization generates 10 million babies in 45 years – 07/24/2023 – Health

On July 25, 45 years ago, the history of medicine gained a new chapter with the birth of the Englishwoman Louise Brown, the first test-tube baby in history.

After nine years of trying in vain to get pregnant, her parents, Lesley and John, accepted a new technique proposed by gynecologist Patrick Steptoe and reproduction professional Robert Edwards, in vitro fertilization (IVF).

The technique consists of collecting eggs from the woman’s ovaries and fertilizing them in the laboratory with the husband’s sperm. Then the formed embryos are selected and transferred to the woman’s uterus.

The procedure was so successful that four years later Louise gained a sister, Natalie, also through IVF. And the pair of doctors were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2010 for their treatment. Currently, Louise has two children and Natalie has four. All generated naturally.

According to the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), by January 2022 more than 10 million babies were born worldwide through the technique.

In Brazil, there is no survey of births. The SBRA (Brazilian Society for Assisted Reproduction) says that there have been 384,962 IVF cycles in the country in the last ten years. Not every cycle results in pregnancy, since the process depends on several factors, such as the woman’s age, the couple’s health and the development of the embryos, says Alvaro Pigatto Ceschin, president of the entity.

“You can’t get a pregnancy in 100% of the cycles. The improvement of the technique has evolved a lot over the years, but to be successful two or three attempts are necessary”, he says.

Another limiting factor is the cost of treatment, since IVF is still for few in the country.

“Advances in selecting the best embryos have also allowed providers to transfer just one rather than multiple embryos into the uterus at a time, reducing the risk of having twins or more,” says Rodrigo Rosa, a physician specializing in human reproduction and founding partner of the Mater Prime clinic.

The professional says that, in the past, infertility was often associated with a feeling of inadequacy or failure, which was overcome with the hope that IVF brought.

“In addition, it promoted changes in culture. The technique allowed same-sex couples, single people, older women and individuals with hereditary genetic problems to conceive and enjoy the wonderful experience of raising a family.

One of the positive points highlighted by experts in the field is that children born through IVF grow up healthy, with no differences in issues such as growth, metabolic and mental health.

“This is tangible proof of the power of science and human perseverance. The child’s radiant smile is a living testament to the love and joy that IVF brings to families’ lives”, says gynecologist and obstetrician Fernando Prado, specialist in human reproduction, member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and clinical director of Neo Vita.

Technique makes every parent’s dream come true

IVF was used for the first time in Brazil in 1984, when Anna Paula Caldeira was born in São José dos Pinhais, in the metropolitan region of Curitiba (PR). Since then, the technique has accompanied international developments, fulfilling the dream of many people, whether they are straight couples, homoaffective couples or even single parents.

Senior planning and control analyst Ana Carolina Duran, 38, for example, dealt with three problems before giving birth to her son Caio, who is now 1 year and 3 months old.

First, it was endometriosis. Afterwards, she discovered that she had adenomyosis (presence of endometrial cells infiltrated in the uterine muscle) and low anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH). This hormone, produced by ovarian cells, is responsible for regulating the development and growth of follicles, the structures that contain the egg.

Thus, after treatment, only two follicles were mature and only one reached the blastocyst stage (embryo 5 to 7 days after fertilization of the ovum). Even so, Ana managed to get pregnant.

“There was only one embryo left, it was implanted and it worked”, he celebrates. “My Caio has health to give and sell. He didn’t have any problems resulting from IVF.”

Couples made up of businessmen Ranulfo Caldas Pereira, 36, and Victor Hugo, 33, and bank workers Vinícius Caroli Flor, 34, and Arthur Correa Silva, 27, relied on the donation of eggs and solidary bellies to make their dreams of parenthood come true.

In March 2022, the lives of Ranulfo and Victor Hugo gained new meaning with the birth of Benicio. “I always wanted to have a child. We looked for the clinic in 2020, when the desire to carry out our plan to build our family came. Benício is a very healthy, happy, playful child. He is a very special boy. He is one year and four months old and now he is the reason for our lives”, says Ranulfo. The couple plans to have another child.

Vinícius and Arthur, in turn, had Joaquim, who is now one year and eight months old. “The in vitro fertilization process was carried out with eggs from an anonymous donor and we fertilized with the genetic material of the two. We transferred two embryos, one from each parent, and one fixed. We don’t know which one. I can highlight that Joaquim’s birth was proof that love overcomes any barrier. His arrival made our home and our life happier”, says Vinícius.

Lawyer Eduardo Veríssimo, 45, became a single father and registered two children born through in vitro fertilization: the twins Julia and Vitor, now five years old.

“The birth changed my life, it was the realization of a dream that I fought hard to achieve. In raising them, I have a support network, but all the decisions come from me and I am very attached to them and they, to me. I got used to it, I am very organized, this helps. The biggest challenge is to divide the attention between the two”, says Eduardo. “At the time, I was 37 years old, I wanted to be a father and things happened that way. Today I’m in a relationship, the family has grown.”