Seven ways IVF changed the world – from Louise Brown to stem-cell research

The first ‘test-tube’ baby turns 40 this month, but the impact of in vitro fertilisation extends far beyond solutions to fertility problemsIt sounds rather perverse and archaic today to call a childborn by IVF a “test-tube baby”. The technique of assisted reproduction has become so widespread and normalised, more than 6 million babies down the road, that there ’s nothing so remarkable or stigmatising in having been conceived in a petri dish (“in vitro”means in glass, although test tubes were never involved). In many countries worldwide, 3-6% of allchildren are now conceived this way.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: IVF Science Reproduction Health Fertility problems Society Pregnancy Stem cells Medical research Biology Reproductive rights Women Parents and parenting Family & wellbeing Ethics World news Source Type: news