A fertility treatment in which an egg is fertilized by sperm outside the body and the resulting embryo is transferred to the uterus. Developed by physiologist Robert Edwards, gynecologist Patrick Steptoe and embryologist Jean Purdy, the technique produced its first successful birth, Louise Brown, in July 1978. Edwards received the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the work; Steptoe and Purdy, both deceased by the time of the award, were ineligible under the Nobel Foundation's rule against posthumous prizes, a decision many in the field regard as an incomplete accounting of the discovery's true three-person authorship.
Facts
Origin YearDated to July 1978, the birth of Louise Brown, the first child born following IVF treatment; the underlying technique had been in development by Robert Edwards, Patrick Steptoe and Jean Purdy since the late 1960s. In Vitro Fertilization
Filter Results1 entry
FAQs
What is the main complication of IVF?
Multiple births, which follow from transferring several embryos at once.
The major complication of IVF is the risk of multiple births, which is directly related to transferring more than one embryo at a time. Multiple births are linked to a higher risk of pregnancy loss, obstetrical complications, prematurity and neonatal illness, with the potential for long-term damage. Some countries, such as Britain and Belgium, have set strict limits on the number of embryos that may be transferred to reduce the risk of triplets or more, but such limits are not universally followed or accepted.
Connections
Discovered By
Historians and Edwards himself argue Purdy is a genuine co-discoverer, not a subordinate; see this entity's own Dissent 727.
Source Jean Purdy (Wikipedia)
Source Patrick Steptoe (Wikipedia)
Source Robert Edwards (Wikipedia)
Long-Form Articles
Treats
Source In Vitro Fertilisation (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundation
2. In Vitro Fertilisation (Wikipedia)
WikipediaWikipedia: In vitro fertilisation, lead sectionQuote, Wikipedia: In vitro fertilisation, lead section
In July 1978, Louise Brown was the first child successfully born after her mother received IVF treatment.
In Vitro Fertilisation (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead section
In July 1978, Louise Brown was the first child successfully born after her mother received IVF treatment.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_vitro_fertilisation, lead section
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation in which an egg is combined with sperm in vitro.
Lead, first sentence
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation in which an egg is combined with sperm in vitro ("in glass").
Treats: Female Infertility, Article text, use for Female Infertility
IVF may be used to overcome female infertility when it is due to problems with the fallopian tubes, making in vivo fertilisation difficult.
In Group: Assisted Reproduction and Fertility Treatment, Introduction
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation in which an egg is combined with sperm in vitro ("in glass").
View the Source Robert Edwards (Wikipedia)
Patrick Steptoe (Wikipedia)
Jean Purdy (Wikipedia)
Dissenting Readings (1 dissenting reading)
Description
Robert Edwards himself, and later historians of embryology, argued that Jean Purdy, the embryologist who worked alongside Edwards and Patrick Steptoe throughout the IVF program, deserved recognition as a co-discoverer rather than a subordinate assistant. A 1980 commemorative plaque honoring the development of IVF in Oldham originally excluded Purdy's name; Edwards protested the omission in a 1981 letter of complaint to the Oldham NHS Trust and was rejected. In his 1989 autobiography, and again at a 1998 lecture, Edwards insisted the team had been a threesome, not a pair. A corrected blue plaque naming all three pioneers was finally unveiled in 2015, by Patrick Steptoe's son.
A dissenting reading, from Jean Purdy's family and historians of embryologyJean Purdy (Wikipedia), Wikipedia
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
Choose a year to see this entry's facts and connections as the atlas records them at that moment: what it held then, what it held instead, and what it had not yet adopted. Choose Present for the current record.