The time: 11:57 p.m., July 25, 1978. A miracle happened. Louise Brown, the first in-vitro fertilization baby (IVF) was born at a small local hospital in Oldham, England. Her birth made headlines in every newspaper in the world. Now, 25 years later, 100,000 babies are born every year by IVF. But none of this could have happened without a momentous discovery 50 years ago.

Few people have heard of James Watson and Francis Crick. But in 1953 they discovered the structure of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), the substance in the chromosomes that makes us who we are. This was the start of molecular medicine which allows us to make pregnancy hormones, insulin and other medications.

I recently visited Hammersmith Hospital in London, England, where I witnessed the miracle happening. It's mind boggling to realize what has transpired since Louise Brown was born. Now all types of infertility can be treated successfully.

At Hammersmith Hospital, I met a man whose sperm count was so low that it was impossible to impregnate his wife. But that day he had just seen the birth of his son, the result of a technique called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). This technique has given hope to thousands of infertile males and it's fascinating to watch.


A normal male ejaculation may contain 200 million sperm. The ICSI procedure uses a powerful microscope to isolate a single sperm cell. Then a needle seven times finer than a human hair injects the sperm into the centre of the female egg and fertilization begins. Later, the fertilized egg is placed inside the uterus and another miracle begins.

Today women account for 45% of infertility cases. Some are infertile because their tubes have been blocked by infection, preventing sperm from reaching the egg. Others have polycystic ovaries that are unable to produce eggs for fertilization.

Now, many of these women can be helped by a technique called in-vitro fertilization.

Pele, the world's most celebrated soccer player, is the father of IVF twins. He said, "Seeing the birth of my babies was greater than scoring a thousand goals."

But the birth of Pele's twins was only possible because of another major discovery. In 1996, Organon pharmaceutical company, a leader in hormone research, discovered a genetic source to stimulate the production of eggs.

To produce eggs for IVF, the female ovaries need to be stimulated by FSH (follicle stimulating hormone). For years, this hormone was obtained from the urine of Roman Catholic nuns. Then researchers at Organon discovered a genetic source of FSH, "Purgeon," free of bacteria and other impurities. From this, they developed the Puregon Pen, the latest technique to help infertile women.

Formerly women had to self-inject using syringes. This involved mixing hormones with saline, a tedious, stressful process, always at risk of calculating and administering the wrong dose. The Puregon Pen eliminates these time-consuming tasks and minimizes the chance of error. Women simply place a small cartridge into the pen, turn a knob to dial the correct dose and inject the hormone with a needle so thin there's little discomfort.

This has been a boon for infertile couples. More mature eggs can be retrieved for immediate use or stored for later use. The result, improved pregnancy rates.

A few years ago, I met Dr. Robert Edwards who, along with Dr. Patrick Steptoe, carried out the research that led to Louise Brown's birth. Edwards is now one of England's most famous scientists. At that time, he was a very proud father-in-law. His research resulted in his daughter-in-law having her first IVF baby.

Today, due to these advances, one million children worldwide have been born by IVF. Every year another 100,000 are added to this list with greater success rates due to improved technologies.

Canada also has a "first" in IVF births. A few years after Louise Brown was born, Robby Reid was conceived in Vancouver. He was born December 25, 1983. Robby Reid, now almost 20, thinks IVF is a great procedure. "After all," he says, "Without it, I wouldn't be here!"
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