A staggering five million babies have been conceived through In-Vitro Fertilisation since 1978, it emerged today.
According to The Irish Times, the figure was estimated by cumulating international IVF figures from 1978 to 2008.
The estimate was announced at a meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (Eshre), which is taking place in Turkey.
The five million baby mark is a huge milestone for fertility organisations around the world.
Chairperson of the International Committee for Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ICMART) Dr. David Adamson said: “Millions of families with children have been created, thereby reducing the burden of infertility.
“The technology has improved greatly over the years to increase pregnancy rates. The babies are as healthy as those from other infertile patients who conceive spontaneously. The technology is available globally in many different countries. IVF is firmly established now in the mainstream of medicine,” he said.
The birth of the world’s first IVF baby Louise Brown in the UK caused huge controversy in 1978 and ethical debates about the procedure were widespread.
