Five million test tube babies have now been born around the world, according to research presented at a conference of fertility experts.But two leading experts in the field have warned that the fertility treatment must be used with care.
The first test tube baby, Louise Brown, was born in Britain in July 1978. Her mother Leslie Brown died last month.
The first test tube baby, Louise Brown, was born in Britain in July 1978. Her mother Leslie Brown died last month.
However, delegates at the conference in Turkey warned couples not to use fertility treatment as an, "insurance policy," if they delayed parenthood, the BBC reports.
Stuart Lavery, a consultant gynaecologist and director of IVF at Hammersmith Hospital, cautioned that the great success of assisted reproduction techniques should not lull people into thinking they could wait to have children.
"The subtext is that if people delay childbirth they may view IVF as an insurance policy that they can access at any stage. Unfortunately the facts still suggest that IVF success rates in women as they get older are not fantastic."
Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in anthropology at the University of Sheffield, said, "I think it's significant that we've got to five million. It's far more socially acceptable than it has been over the last 10 or 20 years.
Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in anthropology at the University of Sheffield, said, "I think it's significant that we've got to five million. It's far more socially acceptable than it has been over the last 10 or 20 years.
"One word of warning, we should make sure that couples understand that IVF isn't a guaranteed solution and if they're in a position to have their children earlier in life then they should try and do that. IVF really is something that should be preserved for those people who really need it."
Two recent Australian studies have suggested serious health risks for those using IVF.
According to a new Australian study, published in the journal, Fertility and Sterility, women who went through the IVF procedure around their 24th birthday were found to have a 56 per cent greater chance of developing breast cancer than those in the same age group who went through treatments without IVF.
Two recent Australian studies have suggested serious health risks for those using IVF.
According to a new Australian study, published in the journal, Fertility and Sterility, women who went through the IVF procedure around their 24th birthday were found to have a 56 per cent greater chance of developing breast cancer than those in the same age group who went through treatments without IVF.
The researchers said, “For younger women there is some cause for concern, because it appears that they may face an increased risk of breast cancer after IVF treatment.”
The researchers collected information on 21,025 women between the ages of 20 and 40 who went through fertility treatment at the hospitals of Western Australia between 1983 and 2002. They were able to piece together enough data to follow the women for some 16 years to see if they developed breast cancer.
Roughly 1.7 per cent of the 13,644 women who only used fertility drugs without IVF ended up developing breast cancer by the end of the study.
Last month, members of the UK parliament demanded a Government inquiry into the safety of the most popular form of IVF after reports linked it with a higher risk of birth defects.
More than 20,000 couples in Britain last year used the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) procedure.
But another Australian study, which examined 300,000 births, found that babies conceived using the procedure were twice as likely as babies conceived naturally to have a birth defect.
But another Australian study, which examined 300,000 births, found that babies conceived using the procedure were twice as likely as babies conceived naturally to have a birth defect.
In response, Conservative MP Dr Dan Poulter, a former obstetrician and gynaecologist, and member of the cross-party House of Commons Health Select Committee, says there needs to be an investigation into ICSI.
The International Committee for Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technologies (Icmart) presented its latest data on children born to infertile parents at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology conference.
It said official figures up to 2008, plus three years of estimates, put the total number of test tube babies born at five million.
About 1.5 million cycles of IVF, and similar techniques, are performed every year, resulting in 350,000 babies, Icmart said.
About 1.5 million cycles of IVF, and similar techniques, are performed every year, resulting in 350,000 babies, Icmart said.
The controversial treatment has led to practices such as sperm and egg donation, which have meant that children have had one half of their genetic heritage kept secret from them.
Thousands of children have been kept from finding their genetic father or mother by fertility clinics who promised sperm and egg donors’ anonymity.