Abstract

“Give me children; else I am as dead”. The desperate cry of Rachel to her husband Jacob, whose life is meaningless whilst she remains sterile, rings down the ages [1], a cry still heard in both developed countries and less affluent ones. Until recently, this pain has been largely ignored or belittled, as it was by Jacob.

Highlights

  • ‘‘Give me children; else I am as dead’’

  • In vitro fertilization (IVF) was one of the greatest medical advances of the 20th century, but it had a profound effect on attitudes towards infertility

  • Robert Edwards, together with gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe, who died 25 years ago, pioneered a revolutionary treatment that resulted in the birth of millions of healthy children

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Summary

Introduction

‘‘Give me children; else I am as dead’’. The desperate cry of Rachel to her husband Jacob, whose life is meaningless whilst she remains sterile, rings down the ages [1], a cry still heard in both developed countries and less affluent ones. In vitro fertilization (IVF) was one of the greatest medical advances of the 20th century, but it had a profound effect on attitudes towards infertility. Robert Edwards, together with gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe, who died 25 years ago, pioneered a revolutionary treatment that resulted in the birth of millions of healthy children.

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