‘My parents didn’t realise they would be famous’
Louise Brown, 39, was the first person to be conceived via IVF 40 years ago this month…
When Louise Brown came Winto the world nearly 40 years ago, she became a household name. For Louise was the first baby to be born using IVF treatment after her parents, Lesley, then 29, and John, then 39, were unable to conceive naturally.
Speaking to Closer, mum-oftwo Louise, now 39, says, “My parents didn’t realise IVF hadn’t succeeded before and that they’d go on to make headlines around the world – they were just desperate for a baby. When Mum visited Patrick Steptoe’s clinic she saw mums with babies, so she assumed it had worked before. She really believed she was going to be a mother. And she would have done anything for a baby.”EXPERIMENTAL
After nine years of trying to conceive naturally, Lesley was diagnosed with blocked fallopian tubes and offered experimental new treatment by Dr Patrick Steptoe and Professor Robert Edwards that involved fertilising an egg in a petri dish. On 10 November 1977 Lesley, then 29, underwent the first successful IVF procedure. Nine months later, Louise was born in Oldham General Hospital. The groundbreaking treatment was not well-received by all, with some religious leaders questioning whether women may be used as “baby factories.”
Louise, who lives in Bristol with her security guard husband Wesley, 47, says, “Mum and dad received a lot of support, but they also received hate mail, including broken test tubes and mail suggesting you should keep a test-tube baby in a fish tank. But I don’t think you can understand how it feels to not be able to have children until you’re in that position yourself.”
The office worker says she learned from a young age about her unique conception when her parents did interviews and knew that she was a household name. But her parents shielded her from the spotlight once she began school.
She says, “I’m even more aware that you never know whether you’re going to be able to have a baby until you start trying, so I never assumed. But I was able to have my children, Cameron, ten, and Aiden, four, naturally, which is good because it shows IVF children won’t necessarily suffer fertility problems, too.
LIFE-CHANGING
“But I would have had IVF if I’d needed it. It was only when I became a mother myself that I realised how much mum went through to have me.”
Louise has a younger sister Natalie, 35, who was also conceived through IVF.
Louise says, “I find it weird when people say my name will be remembered forever, as my life has always seemed normal to me. But it’s incredible to think so many lives have been changed by this thing that started with Mum and Dad. It’s created babies, families and thousands of jobs, so it really has changed the world and done so much good.”
Sadly, her parents have since passed away, but Louise says she wants to continue their legacy by speaking about IVF all over the world.
She adds, “Mums who’ve had babies through IVF often write to thank me. I always say it’s nothing to do with me – I was just born! But it’s lovely to speak to people and hear their stories; it’s why I continue to do speeches at events to raise awareness.”
❛MUM WOULD HAVE DONE ANYTHING FOR A CHILD❜