Birth of twins gives hope to women who cannot use IVF
Oct. 25, 2007
By Mark Henderson, Science Editor
The healthy twins, a boy and girl, were delivered at the John Radcliffe Hospital on October 18, paving the way for more couples to benefit from a technique that offers a safer, cheaper and quicker alternative to IVF.
Both babies were conceived using eggs that were removed from their mother’s ovaries while still undeveloped and then matured artificially in the laboratory before being fertilised with their father’s sperm.
The procedure, known as in-vitro maturation or IVM, allows infertile couples to conceive without giving the woman fertility drugs to stimulate her ovaries before collecting the eggs.
While about 400 babies have been born worldwide using IVM, the twins, whose parents wish to remain anonymous, are the first to be born by the procedure in Britain. The John Radcliffe Oxford Fertility Unit was awarded the first licence to offer the treatment in January.
The boy, who was delivered at 10.46am, weighed 6lb 11oz, and his sister, who arrived a minute later, weighed 5lb 14oz.
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