Louise Brown doesn’t mind if you call her a test-tube baby, but she prefers IVF, since there weren’t any test tubes involved. The jar in which she started her life is now on display at the Science Museum in London. Brown became the first person to be born after being conceived outside the human body, through in vitro fertilization (IVF). Her embryo was taken from the jar and transferred into her mother Lesley’s womb. Nine months later, Louise arrived, and so did the world’s media. Hordes of reporters, representing outlets from around the world, descended on the small southwestern English town of Oldham, determined to bear witness to what
Time magazine called “the most awaited birth in perhaps 2,000 years.” Since Brown’s birth, more than 8 million babies have been born through the use of IVF. It’s not a cheap process, with the average cost of a single cycle costing more than $20,000. Today, Louise lives with her husband, Wesley Mullinder, and two sons in Bristol, England, where she works for a freight company. In case you’re curious, both of her sons were born naturally.
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Lesley and John Brown with Louise
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Louise and her husband Wesley with their sons
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