Photo: Leon Neal/Getty
Louise Brownis used to the public eye — her birth having been televised for all the world to see.
Last year, around the time of her birthday,Brown sat down withTIMEto reflect on the media frenzy surrounding her delivery, and the public criticism her parents, Lesley and John, faced after allowingdoctors to film hercaesarean sectionbirth.
Courtesy Louise Brown
Brown toldTIMEthat the birth needed to be public, to prove that the masterminds behind IVF, British scientist Robert Edwards and his gynecologist colleague Patrick Steptoe, had in fact found a way to conceive life outside of the human body.
“My parents didn’t have a choice about making it public,” Brown said. “If they didn’t, they would have had people asking ‘Why can’t we see her? What’s wrong with her?’ ”
“Had there been anything at all wrong with me, it would have been the end of IVF,” she added.
Her successful birth marked a new era in reproductive technology — and for many struggling with infertility, a new era of hope.
As of 2018,it was reportedthat 8 million babies have been born worldwide as a result of IVF since 1978.
In recent years, many celebrities have come forward with their fertility struggles, opening up to fans about their experience with IVF. Among themChrissy Teigen,Tamron Hall,Courtney CoxandGabrielle Union, and more recently, dancerJulianne Hough.
Earlier this month, Hough’s husbandBrooks Laichacknowledged the couple’s decision to try IVF on a recent episode of hisiHeartRadio podcastHow Men Think.
Michael Tran/Getty
He revealed that he and Hough began the IVF process shortly before she turned 30 last July.
“Knowingshe has endometriosis, it could potentially make things challenging in the future to conceive naturally,” Laich, 36, said of their decision to start IVF. “That was just a looking at the big picture and what we want as a family.”
In addition to starting IVF, Hough, 30, also froze some of her eggs last year, and “the commitment that she made to us having a family is something I’ll never forget,” he added.
source: people.com
