In vitro fertilization was first successfully achieved in the 1890s, when Dr. Walter Heape, of Cambridge, UK, managed to transplant a fertilized ovum into a rabbit. The medical establishment worked on the issue for roughly another forty years before the next major breakthrough, which replicated Heape’s success using deer. This development was viewed by author Aldous Huxley with some alarm, causing him to write about IVF fictionally in his landmark novel Brave New World.
The idea of IVF was not seriously discussed in humans until 1934, when two Harvard researchers published a paper suggesting it could be viable. In 1948, the first practical experiments concerning IVF were initiated by John Rock and Miriam Menken. However, it would be 1956 when Dr. M.C. Chang achieved the first live birth using IVF techniques, in a rabbit.
The first IVF pregnancy in a human woman occurred in 1973 in Australia. Regrettably, this inaugural attempt ended in a miscarriage. It would not be until July of 1978 that Louise Joy Brown proved IVF was feasible, securing her place in history.
As medical techniques and capabilities have improved, so has the prognosis and viability of IVF. New chemicals and methodologies, coupled with discoveries about how unfertilized and fertilized ova behave both in the human body and in IVF culture media, have made this method of conception more effective and efficient. IVF success stories have been reported around the world, and the vast strides in the obstetrics, gynecology, and genetics fields have made such stories even more common place. Ivf financing is becoming more available, and is leading the way.
Today, IVF is a popular treatment alternative that offers fresh hope to women and couples who have experienced difficulty conceiving by other means. Nearly twelve thousand healthy IVF births are reported in the UK alone each year. Many of the modern techniques for determining how efficacious IVF will be in a given situation concern genetic testing. These tests not only assure the ovum and the mother are compatible, giving it the best chance to survive and thrive, but they also allow doctors to screen for potential problems such as breast cancer or Down’s syndrome, among others.
The primary difference between natural conception and IVF, aside from the obvious clinical nature of IVF, is the ability to more accurately predict the due date of your child. This has proven to be a huge help to parents everywhere, allowing them to more effectively budget and plan for their new arrival. However, none of the techniques available for calculating the “actual” due date is infallible.
Ultimately it is the woman’s body that determines when the birth is to happen, but a IVF due date calculator is still a valuable tool for expectant parents and doctors alike. These calculators are primarily designed for women with infertility or difficulty of conception in their medical history.
-Last date of your menstrual period: This is still the most common and popular means of determining what the due date of your child is, but it may be the least accurate. Because of the nature of IVF, the following methods are far more precise in pinpointing the approximate birth date you can expect.
-Date of insemination, ova removal, or transfer: For a viable fetus, this is probably the most accurate date. This allows doctors to state with absolute certainty when the egg cell was fertilized, but cannot guarantee that the fertilized ovum will “take” in the uterus.
-Three-day embryo transfer date: This date is as certain as the date of insemination, but also shares the uncertainty of whether the ovum will take. It has the advantage of assuring a viable fetus.
-Five-day blastocyte transfer date: This is similar to the three-day transfer date, but in this case, the fertilized ovum has already undergone mitosis, or cell division, making this the most certain way of verifying the viability of the fetus.
By using all of these methods in tandem, the expectant parents can obtain an “optimal window” for likely delivery. This is not an exact science, and the mother’s body has the final say on when and how the baby is delivered. Even so, an IVF due date calculator offers another way to plan for their new baby’s arrival!