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- / AFP - Getty Images
The world's first test-tube baby Louise Brown, right, poses with her son Cameron, her mother, Lesley Brown, and in vitro fertilization pioneer Robert Edwards on July 12, 2008, during a celebration of Louise's 30th birthday. Lesley Brown died earlier this month after a short illness.
Lesley Brown, the woman who gave birth to the first test tube baby has died at age 64 after a brief illness, the British newspaper The Telegraph reports.
Brown sought out the experimental new treatment, in vitro fertilization, after nine years of trying to get pregnant on her own with her husband John.
She gave birth to a daughter, Louise, in 1978 with the help of two British specialists Dr. Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards.
Louise told the BBC, “Mum was a quiet and private person who ended up in the world spotlight because she wanted a family so much. We are all missing her terribly.” Lesley Brown died June 6 at Royal Bristol Infirmary, The Telegraph reported.
Louise’s birth was the beginning of a “revolution,” says Dr. Anthony Wakim, director of assisted reproductive technologies at the Magee-Women’s Hospital at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
“I still remember exactly what I was doing,” Wakim remembers. “I had just started my internship at the University of Maryland and I was pumping gas into my car when I heard it on the radio. It was just mind-boggling. To my mind it was almost science fiction. It was very far fetched.”
It wasn’t long after when groups in the U.S. developed the expertise to produce babies through in vitro fertilization, Wakim says.
And that changed everything for parents who had been suffering with infertility.
“It was a very big deal,” Wakim says. “Before that we had to rely on micro-surgery to break up the adhesions that were scarring the tubes. Those surgeries could drag on for three or four hours and the results were not so good. The scarring could recur and many times there were ectopic pregnancies.
“I look back and I’m flabbergasted.”
The news of Lesley Brown’s death caught Janice Evans by surprise.
“I felt sad when I heard,” says Evans, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “Think about the courage and persistence she must have had. She was a real trail blazer. As were Steptoe and Edwards.” Edwards was awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize for developing IVF. Steptoe died in 1988.
Lesley Brown’s story underscores how persistent people can change the world. “If the three of them hadn’t been so determined there would have been a big gap for the many couples who struggle with infertility,” Evans adds.
The iconic photo of Edwards with Lesley and Louise sums it all up, Evans says.
“Edwards has his arm around Lesley, and Louise is standing next to them holding her son. You get the feeling looking at that photo that they were all in the fight together not just to make a change in the Brown family but to push frontiers.”
Today, the results of that groundbreaking birth are all around us. In 2010, 58,727 babies were born through IVF in the U.S., says Sean Tipton, director of public affairs for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine
“It’s remarkable to think that if you look around a preschool classroom, a big chunk of those kids may have come from IVF,” Evans says.
July 27, 1978: TODAY reports on the birth of Louise Brown in England, the first human being to be conceived outside of a mother uterus.
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Thank you, Lesley and your doctors, for your courage---and for my wonderful grandson.
One couragus woman....to be the first is always difficult.
Courageous? Courageous is a soldier staring down the enemy, or rushing into a burning building to save someone's life. Spreading your legs and prostituting one's self to science is what dimwitted ninnies do. This woman is no pioneer and certainly not worthy of such praises. She's nothing more than another breeder who was unable to take "no" for an answer from Mother Nature.
I want to thank these two men for the discovery that led to the two beautiful children in my picture. My husband and I tried for years and we were bleesed with our children in Dec of 2008 thanks to IVF. If it would not have been for this womans courage to try this new procedure, where would we be. My sympathy goes out to the family for their loss and hope in their sorrow they can find joy in that their loved ones courage has helped thousands of people, that she never met, in ways that words cannot even express.
To those of you that think IVF is wrong, I hope that you or a loved one NEVER has to go though the emotional hard ship of not being able to conceive naturally.
It is only an "emotional hardship" because in our society, if you can't or won't reproduce, you are turned into a social pariah. And in some cases, reproducing is NOT the best way - I cannot get over the whole media "martyrdom" of Elizabeth Edwards. This "Technology" had her giving birth and reproducing 2 years in a row, at the age of 48, and 49 respectively. Then we wonder why she got breast cancer? Sometimes things in life just don't happen for us, and it is sad and we accept and move on. Life is full of emotional hardships. It is now also full of banks of embryos that we simply don't know what to do with.....
Its always sad to hear someone has passed, RIP. Condolences to her loved ones.
Rest in peace Leslie and condolences to the Brown family. While this was a huge pioneering step, I cannot help feeling sympathy for the thousands of children who need to be adopted and will not be due to this procedures success.
So when will your adoption progress begin? I bet you're excited to adopt rather than have your own children.
My process ended 30 years ago with my 3rd adopted child.
Well good for you. I think it's great that there are people able to adopt such as yourself. It was your decision to do so just like it is others to have their own. It's a personal decision either way in which shouldn't be judged upon.
Are we sure that Chris Farley wasn't the father of that test tube kid?
nice one dave. SHOWS THAT I WAS RIGHT ON ABOUT YOU.
RIP Mrs. Brown, and thank you for your contribution to so many people's lives.
I agree that overpopulation is a real problem, but i don't support people who use IVF- or people who are obese- being blamed for it. It's definitely not an issue that should be rehashed in an article meant to commemmorate someone like this woman. Also, for the person who claimed there was "no excuse" for her daughter to be obese: I concur with another commenter that you don't know her life.
As with all comment boards i've seen, there is a surplus of trolls and overly judgmental, ignorant people here, and that's unfortunate.
To M. Klein. Amen and Amen. The bad thing about a lot of these comments is that there are so many people who are "know-it-alls" with no humanity. But there are enough of those with heart and compassion who make up for it. Thanks for your comment. You are correct - no one knows another's story until they have stood in their shoes.
All the science we have yet humans are the cruelest beings on this planet I see a woman whom looks like she ate too much and her child that's now a woman is obese. So, what are the real issues of love or compassion when humans slaughter animals like bugs. The daughter looks like she gets 100 pigs a year! All we need are more selfish humans being born when the real science should be man made caused diseases, the ones human create when we feed animals to animals, as in dogs, cats & cows feed to cows by factory farm meat industries that caused MAD COW DISEASE. All the science yet still humans cause so so much suffering to animals in it's name. I still believe we need less humans born and that is the science i care about. TOO MANY FREACKIN HUMANS AND TOO MUCH SLAUGHTER TO FEED THE HUMAN PIGS. Watch on HBO, 'The Weight of the Nation' on Youtube or Facebook too and on Youtube: 'EARTHLINGS'....LOOK FOR FULL LENGTH VERSION. ALL WE NEED IS MORE PEOPLE THAT DO LITTLE THAN GET FAT & @!$%#. WAY TO EVOLVE ................SCIENCE?
Typical libtard... using somebody's weight as an excuse to rip the human race and support animal rights. You should just feel fortunate that your parents chose life so that you can be here to spew your hatred. God gave us animals to feed off of. God gave us you so we can know how good it is to be nothing like you.
Shows how IGNORANT you are.
Oh yeah, I guess I forgot that I'm the ignorant one here. Instead of spewing your hatred of the human race, your time might be better spent hugging a sad tree...or maybe even a lion, or a tiger, or a bear...oh my! Get a life loser...you'll be happier for it.
CHOICE had nothing to do with it. Religion did not either. Some of us are just more Ethical than others. You can justify all you want with'your' religion yet it's NOT my killing religion. Hinduism is just more spititual and less BS. Higher Consciousness is NOT what is taught in YOUR culture. HATE has nothing to do with my comment yet that is your persumption. Facts, not fiction are WEIGHT issues. 70% of Americans are OBESE or overweight. Part of the reason they can not get pregnant and too thin is another factor. It's about the issue of they Americans have cancer, diebetes, high cholesterol & heart problems of the Fast Food Nations. Some people are fat due to genes yet most are due to their diets that began at early age. BIBLE also specks about gluttony too.
I don't eat animals and so you call me a loser. Real Christian of you CL Dave. I know the facts and I have 5 college degrees with and awesome career in the legal world. I earn my own mioney and do not depend on a man to support me. I help humans and animals. HATE has nothing to do with FACTS re: obesity.
I CANNOT believe that I am responding to this thread....but here goes.
Earthlings, why do you assume that CL Dave is Christian?
Furthermore, yes, weight (both over and under) can contribute to infertility. However, so can a wide, wide variety of other reasons (male factors included) that have absolutely no relationship with weight and are not restricted to the American or even European world.
And, as a scientist, who is not involved in research of reproduction, but is actively working on research of real human diseases, believe me, there is a lot of research money going toward research of human diseases-both man made and "natural". Research in complex diseases takes time and A LOT of money. I think multiple areas of science can evolve at the same time, not exclusive of each other.
I don't believe that your 5 college degrees or your religion makes you an absolute authority on the subject. However, I don't believe my 1 college degree and 1 PhD makes me an expert either. If the solution to infertility, or world hunger was that easy to solve, it would have been solved before now.
This is NOT about Uncle Henry, although his opinions are just as valid as anyone's. I thjink people who can't conceive should adopt the thousands of babies nobody wants, but that's just my opinion...
Bless her heart her struggles made things easier for so many others. She also was gifted with a grandson by the pic. so she was double blessed.
well if you look at her in the pic, there is a reason she did test tube. nobody in there right mind would ever sleep with a girl like that. but i quess there is a ass for every seat. not in my lifetime
Didn't you read the article? Her husband schlonked that for 9 years without success...probably because he was never able to finish looking at a mug like hers....
Unlike Uncle Henry, I think it is wonderful that the technology is available. But it is associated with a higher rate of neonatal death than natural fertilization, mostly due to the high rate of multiple births. The large majority of children conceived through IVF are healthy, though.
IVF was offered to me 20 years ago, for secondary infertility associated with endometriosis. I wanted no parts of it, for a variety of reasons. Not primarily financial; we lived in a state that mandated insurance coverage of it. I was more interested in adoption, which my husband was not interested in. So we had just the one child, conceived naturally. I do not regret the decision to forgo IVF. I'll never know what I would have done if we had suffered from primary infertility. Maybe I'd have done it for my husband's sake. I doubt it would have been for my own.
It is a great blessing for the couples who wish to utilize it, however! Probably even for the ones for whom it fails, since they know they've done what they could.
Leslie Brown brought hope to millions of people dealing with in-fertility. She and her doctors are trailblazers and heroes.
Uncle Henry
Most women want to be mothers. My (second) wife had a baby when she was young and it died at the hospital. She could never get pregnant again. When she was almost 50 a doctor told her that she had an infection in her fallopian tubes. When she asked if this was why she could never get pregnant the doctor replied "Yes." She cried for a long time after that. If IVF was available to her I am sure she would have done it. It had nothing to do with genetics.
For those who bring the Bible into it read Genesis 11:6 "... for now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do."
Thank you Mrs Brown. Because of your bravery I am the very proud mother of a 12 year old boy. He is the love and life of many people, especially his mom and dad. I have always said and will continue to say that I won the lottery when he was born- he is the best, the greatest, the most loving, caring, etc.. damn the naysayers, Lesley, they do not know what we went through for God's greatest gift. All of us IVF moms salute you and send our prayers to you and your family. God Bless.
There's always an issue when it comes to science. If it isn't tortureing animals then it's all good with me. A lot of the science does torture animals yet there are simulators. Ethics is always an issue. Personally, I just think it's fine to have sci-fi kids, I just think it's weird how humans rationalize & justify science when it's their selfish needs/wants/desires yet they think so little about the animals suffering, misery & loss of life. Humans think they are superior yet have so little compassion to animals. DARE to watch what humans are about on youtube: 'EARTHLINGS' in full length.This is what humans are about, very self-centered are humans. so much science yet still so little kindness or compassion. SCIENCE doesn't show or tell the whole truth. Also what's weird is that religion applies to some issues as in the BULL of diminion over animals yet not in the conception of life? Humans have not evolved as much as they 'think'. I don't buy the diminion BS over animals yet I do believe in science as long as other primates & dogs, cats, pigs & goats are not tortured in the name of science or any other means of objectification. At least humans should learn to be vegetarians if not vegan for starters. Mom & daughter were both obese and that makes me more sad than the mums death, all the animals they got fat eating. Humans are to have a conscious and reason, yet that's not in this century. Humans do not NEED animals for protein. When humans ever learn that truth then we will know the true meaning of LIFE. To truly EVOLVE we must stop the slaughter of animals.
You hit the nail on the head. We have the compassion to evolve and be a significant wonderful human being.
You are so very wrong - did you know that just to eat your beloved veggies, you or the farmer you rely on slaughters THOUSANDs of creature just during the planting. Whole colonies of ants, little mice, mites, spiders, etc. Oh, that's ok, they're not "cute" . Take a yardstick - envision it as representing all of humanoid history. Then look at the last 1/2 inch - THAT is how long humans have been agrarian. Do you really believe we have evolved that quickly? I'm going to go work in my organic vegetable garden and attack the weeds, and in doing so will "slaughter" many creatures, unbenknownst to me, but true nonetheless. You are a victim of anthromorphism. I was once too, and was very fat. Now that I understand the everything living, whether plant or animal eventually eats everything else, I have been able to accept my own mortality. Mother nature is beautfiul but deadly - face facts.
I have a friend who had a child using IVF after she and her husband suffered with infertility for years. On one hand I am thrilled that my friend and her husband now have a soon to be two year old daughter. However, as a Christian I believe IVF is wrong. God does not need a doctor or any assistance to create children in infertile women. The bible has many accounts of God blessing women who thought they would never have children and assistive reproductive technology was NEVER needed. As a believer I know that my spirit and purpose for my existence comes from God, there are many scriptures in the bible that support this as well. Where do the spirits and life purpose for IVF babies come from? Only God knows the answer to this question. We need to understand and accept that children are not a basic human right, they are a gift from God and are sent here by God to serve His divine purpose. Yes some children are born in horrible families and under horrible circumstances, but I do not judge God's will nor will I profess to knowing why he does what he does. I know I will receive a lot of rude comments, because as humans we are inherently selfish and truly believe we should have everything we want (including children). However, I had to bring this up in the conversation because it just feels like the elephant in the room that is never discussed. I just read this bible study lesson online I would like to share with other Christians and especially non-believers. You may need to cut and paste this into your browser to read it but it is very interesting and worth reading. God loves you and always trust his will for you life!
Christina, you anger me beyond words. I cannot believe you consider yourself a "Christian" after your hateful and judgemental remarks. Maybe you should ask "your jesus" to forgive you. I feel sorry for such people like you that are hiding your hate and judgement behind religion and god.
God blessed me with 2 beautiful children after giving us the knowledge to use IVF. He later gave me one conceived naturally. Keep reading that bible you need it.
There is No, god. We do the things we do out of necessity to prolong life. I suggest you learn more about Micro-organisms and discover the true nature of LIFE, on this wonderful planet. In a far reaching solar system, and an even bigger universe, than spout biblical B.S. on creating LIFE.
I don't think God has a say in Mother Nature's doings. Infertility is her way of telling you you're not supposed to be having kids. God has nothing to do with it.
Jenny, i have not met god or mother nature. I do not think you know what you are talking about. If there were people that were "not supposed to have kids" there would be a lot fewer stupid people on the earth.
I do not think infertility has anything to do with it.
This woman is and was a true hero and pioneer. My wife and I had to use IVF twice. When my wife lost our first twp children do to a miscarrage it was devastating to us both. For those that say adopt, do you know what it is like to be denied because you do not meet a certian criteria? I do, all to well. And for those that say well we are geneticaly unfit, I suggest you look up ectopic pregancies.
The link was erased by msnbc you can google "bible a book of truth is ivf right for christians" to read the lesson
bibleabookoftruth.com/isivfrightforchristians.pdf
I am very sorry for the loss of Ms. Brown. She was part of the research that allowed me to have my children. I am very thankful for IVF and blessed to have my kids.
Science is a beautiful thing. Go in peace Mum. Thanks for the "revolution" in life.
I am sure that Lesley's daughter is glad her mom wanted her so much. My son and daughter-in-law had to go that route - thanks to a wonderful doctor in Japan for helping my daughter-in-law give birth to my grandson!! And thanks to the doctors who saw the pain in eyes of women who could not conceive and tried to help them. I certain am glad my daughter-in-law went through all that pain and miserable ups and downs emotionally to conceive. These treatments are no picnic. Some women really suffer. My son grew a lot stronger and wiser as well, helping his wife through all of the treatments. It is worth it - we have a grandson who is a very special person and my son and his wife have a beautiful little person to love and cherish. Before anyone criticizes, remember it is the love for this child even before the child is conceived that drives a couple to this expensive and hard choice. I have another young friend who tried it as well. Unfortunately, she could not conceive. I see the pain in her face and also the love there when she is holding another woman's baby. God bless you, Lesley. You did it! And to Louise - you are truly a lucky woman for without a doubt you had a loving mom!
To Earthlings - gee, have you ever noticed that those who don't have anything really positive to say, talk in "all caps"?
'ALL CAPS'.......GLAD YOU NOTICED ME. ;-)
I remember those who whine over this saying it was "ungodly" As a pastor I say God gave the Doctors the knowledge to give a child to this couple who wanted one so bad. This was a good thing.
Thank you Mrs. Brown, you are one of my heroes. Women and couples everywhere are thankful for your courage to undergo such a risky medical procedure (IVF). I remember the news story (when I was 8) when you had your daughter and thought that was a marvelous medical miracle. Without your courage and daring, I would not have my two wonderful little boys today. We had male infertility due to my husband's chemotherapy treatment for his appendix cancer (+7 yr survivor). Thank you! RIP