The 35-year-old mother gave birth to three test-tube babies in 6 years, and spent 200,000 yuan before and after, behind the growing popularity: who is doing IVF?
A few days ago, 29-year-old Xiaoya sent a message to Xing Lanfeng, the head nurse of the reproductive department of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital affiliated to Zhejiang University School of Medicine: The baby is 1 year old, and he can already call his parents! At the same time, there is also a video of the baby walking with a walker.
Who is Xiaoya? She is the first "gift baby" in Zhejiang Province. It is called "gift baby" because the English initials of the technology "gamete fallopian tube transplantation" are written in conjunction with the English "GIFT" of "gift", which takes its beautiful meaning.
29 years ago, Xiaoya was successfully implemented assisted reproductive technology by Academician Huang Hefeng, a representative and leader in the field of reproductive medicine in China, and his team, and delivered babies by hand. Now that Xiaoya is a mother, for Academician Huang, she also has the mood of "being a grandmother".
November 1995
Zhejiang's first "gift baby" was born
Time back to the 80s of the 20th century. At that time, the Women's Hospital of Zhejiang University established the Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, and became the first hospital in Zhejiang Province to carry out the research and application of assisted reproductive technology. First of all, artificial insemination was carried out for infertile patients, and a research team was set up at the same time to carry out more attempts at assisted reproductive technology.
In 1995, the first "Gift Baby" was successfully implemented. The process is to obtain eggs and sperm first, and then through laparoscopic or direct laparotomy, eggs and sperm are injected into the fallopian tubes through a catheter, so that they can be freely fertilized and combined, and the fertilized eggs swim into the uterus on their own to develop into a fetus.
The birth of the first "gift baby" has brought a milestone breakthrough in assisted reproductive technology in Zhejiang Province.
At that time, 26-year-old Ms. Wu, Xiaoya's mother, had been married for more than three years, and she was never able to get pregnant because she suffered from polycystic ovary syndrome, oligomenorrhea, and irregular menstruation.
After the assisted reproductive technology research team of the Women's Hospital of Zhejiang University applied ovulation induction drugs to Ms. Wu, the eggs were retrieved under the guidance of B-ultrasound, and then injected into Ms. Wu's bilateral fallopian tubes laparoscopically together with the sperm that Ms. Wu's husband had already optimized. After that, the egg and sperm are fertilized in the fallopian tube and then swim into the uterus to implant and develop into an embryo.
In November 1995, Ms. Wu successfully delivered a baby girl weighing 3,200 grams through cesarean section and scoring 10 out of 10. This child is Xiaoya, and she became the first "gift baby" in Zhejiang Province.
Although "gift baby" and "test-tube baby" are called differently, they are both children born through assisted reproductive technology, which is a gift from modern technology to infertile families.
"Gift baby" and "test tube baby" are the same as ovulation induction, follicle monitoring, egg retrieval, and sperm processing technology, the difference is that "gift baby" is to obtain eggs and sperm first, and then through laparoscopy or direct laparotomy, eggs and sperm are injected into the fallopian tube through a catheter, so that they can be fertilized and combined freely, and the fertilized egg swims into the uterus to develop into a fetus on its own, which is rarely used in clinical practice The eggs and sperm are incubated in a test tube for two to three days, up to five days, to form an embryo, and then the embryo is moved into the uterus to develop and grow. It can be simply understood that the function of the fallopian tube is replaced by the test tube in the laboratory, which is one of the commonly used assisted reproductive technologies in clinical practice.
February 3, 2023
The "gift baby" gave birth
It is a natural pregnancy and a natural birth
More than 20 years have passed, and the original baby girl has grown up and looks very beautiful. She went to graduate school and got married and conceived a baby.
On February 3, 2023, Xiaoya found that the amniotic water broke at home, and combined with the low back pain symptoms that appeared the day before, it can be judged that the baby is about to give birth.
Xiaoya's mother contacted Xing Lanfeng, the head nurse of the reproductive department of Zhejiang University Women's Hospital, and the family hurried to the emergency room, and Xing Lanfeng also came to the scene to check Xiaoya's condition together.
"After the uterine opening was opened 8 centimeters and her blood pressure was measured, I immediately contacted Wang Hong, the head nurse of the delivery room. At this time, the delivery room is ready, and the experienced midwifery team such as the two head nurses and the "ace" midwife Li Hao are ready.
Hearing the news that Xiaoya's amniotic water broke and was about to give birth, Academician Huang Hefeng, who had just arrived in Hangzhou on a business trip, immediately arranged the matter at hand and immediately rushed to the delivery room of the Women's Hospital of Zhejiang University with Professor Zhu Yimin, director of the Department of Reproductive Endocrinology.
The birth of Xiaoya's child gave Academician Huang the feeling of "being a grandmother": 28 years ago, it was she who brought Xiaoya into this world from Ms. Wu's belly. The inheritance of life is witnessed in your own hands, how can it not be exciting?
With gentle encouragement on the one hand and professional support on the other, on the same day, a baby boy was born with a Apgar score of 10. This birth was a natural pregnancy and natural delivery, and the process was very smooth.
"In the past, people always asked me, how are the children of assisted reproduction, can they give birth on their own? Today, I can answer this question. In the delivery room, "Grandma Huang" was full of joy and pride.
Before leaving, Academician Huang Hefeng said that when he saw Xiaoya give birth to a child today, he sighed that time flies so fast, "I still want to see this baby have a child in the future, and it will take at least 20 years - it seems that I am going to strengthen my exercise and look forward to the birth of the fourth generation of "gift baby" children!"
A family of three "IVF"
Ms. Zhao, 35, is a mother of three children, and unlike other mothers, her three babies are all "test-tube babies".
Today, her eight-year-old eldest daughter is in the second grade of primary school, her second daughter is six years old and attends kindergarten classes near her home, and her four-year-old son also went to kindergarten last year and follows his sister to and from school every day. The family of five lives a stable and happy life.
Recalling the experience from preparing for pregnancy to giving birth to a baby, Ms. Zhao still has some emotion: "At that time, I was really confused, and I was about to give up, but fortunately, after going through wind and rain, we finally saw the rainbow." ”
There was no movement for three years after getting married
I checked almost all the tests that should be done
Ms. Zhao got married at the age of 23, and her husband was introduced to her by a friend, who was seven years older than her.
"Our relationship is still quite good, we both like children, and my husband was not young at the time, so I started to prepare for pregnancy as soon as I got married. Ms. Zhao said that at first, the couple had no psychological burden and felt that they could conceive naturally, but after half a year, her stomach did not move at all.
The family said that it might be that she was too thin to give birth. So, in addition to three meals a day, Ms. Zhao also added fruits, snacks, and nutritional products every day, and weighed six or seven pounds in half a year, but there was still no sign of pregnancy.
In order to find the cause, they went to many hospitals. "For more than two years, all the tests that should be done have been done, and I don't know how many tubes of blood were drawn. ”
Ms. Zhao said that she first went to do a full set of pre-pregnancy tests, including genetic testing, ovarian function, fallopian tubes and a series of other items, but the findings were quite good;
"I still remember one time when I went to see the outpatient clinic, the two of us came out with thick examination reports and stood at the entrance of the hospital for a long time without speaking. At that time, my heart was really cold, I felt very dazed, and I didn't know what else to do next. For a long time, the two did not go to the hospital again, and her husband comforted her and said that it didn't matter if she couldn't get pregnant, and the two of them lived a good life. Ms. Zhao was also a little disheartened, and the whole person looked a lot haggard.
Both artificial inseminations were unsuccessful
They decided to try IVF
The turnaround occurred in 2014.
A colleague of Ms. Zhao's wanted to have a second child, but was unable to conceive naturally due to pelvic adhesions, and successfully became pregnant after IVF at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital affiliated to Zhejiang University School of Medicine.
After hearing about this, Ms. Zhao's heart was filled with hope.
The couple had never paid attention to and understood IVF before, and with the idea of giving it a try, they found Zhu Yimin, the chief physician of the Department of Reproductive Endocrinology of the Women's Hospital of Zhejiang University.
Zhu Yimin consulted their previous examination reports, inquired in detail about the situation of the couple, and suggested that they could try artificial insemination first.
In the following six months, Ms. Zhao underwent two artificial inseminations, but they were unsuccessful.
"The doctor told us that there was no problem with our sperm and eggs themselves, but they just couldn't be combined, and considering that it was caused by immune factors, they recommended us to do IVF. Ms. Zhao and her husband didn't know much about IVF, but they trusted Dr. Zhu very much and immediately followed her advice and decided to try IVF.
After a period of time, Ms. Zhao followed the doctor's instructions and regularly went to the hospital for ovulation induction injections.
"Now that I think about it, it was the most difficult time for us, and there was a little hope, but I was afraid that hope would be disappointed again, after all, we had already experienced too many failures......," Ms. Zhao said, but fortunately, Dr. Zhu Yimin has been comforting and encouraging her, so that her mood has gradually settled down.
The first transfer of embryos did not survive
After half a year of rest, I finally welcomed my first baby
After thorough preparation, the doctor took 9 follicles from Ms. Zhao for the first time and matched 4 embryos.
"I remember that it was near the end of 2014, when the Chinese New Year was approaching, and we were very happy to hear the news, so we thought that going home for the New Year would be a surprise for the elderly. After Ms. Zhao transplanted 2 fresh embryos, she happily followed her husband back to her hometown in Henan for the New Year.
Probably because the journey was a bit hard, after returning to her hometown, Ms. Zhao had another illness because of the water and soil adaptation, and the two embryos did not survive.
"I cried a lot, and the doctor told me that I couldn't be too anxious, and that there was still a chance. After a period of rest, Ms. Zhao transferred 2 embryos again, and this time she was very cooperative with the doctor, carefully followed the doctor's instructions, and spent most of her time at home recuperating. Although the doctor repeatedly said that daily life and work would not affect the conception, "I have no bottom in my heart, I want a baby too much, and this time it will not be successful...... We might really have to give up. ”
Fortunately, the subsequent process was very smooth, the fetal heart rate was available, the ultrasound three-dimensional examination was completed, and at the end of each prenatal examination, Ms. Zhao would secretly breathe a sigh of relief in her heart. She goes to the hospital almost every other week and, in her own words, "couldn't be more careful."
Ms. Zhao originally planned to give birth naturally, but when the due date was approaching, the amniotic fluid suddenly decreased, and the doctor performed an emergency cesarean section for her.
Holding this child, Ms. Zhao felt a lot of emotion in her heart, and there was a feeling of "bitterness and sweetness", and her husband was even more happy.
Two years after embryo freezing
The second transplant to production went particularly well
In the blink of an eye, the eldest daughter is 2 years old, and Ms. Zhao and her husband both like children, and have always thought that their lives are stable and they have the opportunity to have another one.
"Because of the first successful experience, I also have the bottom in my heart, this time I feel a lot more relaxed, not so anxious, my husband also said, anyway, just try, if you have it, it will be the icing on the cake, it doesn't matter if you don't. ”
In 2017, Ms. Zhao retrieved 5 eggs through ovulation induction at the Women's Hospital of Zhejiang University, matched 3 embryos, transferred 1 and froze 2 at that time.
To the couple's surprise, the process went particularly smoothly this time, from transplantation to production, all the way to the green light, without any accidents. In April 2018, the second daughter was born, and Ms. Zhao's husband rushed back to Hangzhou from other places overnight, holding the baby with a smile and looking at it.
"Looking back now, the mood still has a big impact, don't be anxious, you can't get it quickly. Ms. Zhao said that at first, the couple was a little worried about whether there would be any difference between the baby from the test tube and the ordinary baby, but after a few years of life, the two daughters are well-behaved and cute, smart and smart, and the eldest daughter's grades have been in the top three in the class. "Personally, I think that the baby that comes out of IVF is just as healthy and smart. ”
Two years after embryo freezing
The couple ushered in "both children and daughters"
Speaking of the last IVF experience, Ms. Zhao smiled a little embarrassedly: "Originally, we didn't plan to regenerate, but in 2019, I received a call from the hospital, saying that there were still two frozen embryos that needed to be renewed if they were to be preserved. ”
For the fourth embryo transfer, the couple is already familiar with the process and is very calm: "We love children equally, and we don't care about boys and girls, as long as they come to our house, they are all fate, and they are all our treasures." ”
At the end of 2019, Ms. Zhao became pregnant, and in August 2020, she gave birth to three boys by cesarean section in the Women's Hospital of Zhejiang University.
Director Zhu Yimin, who "escorted" her throughout the whole process, was also sincerely happy for the family, Zhu Yimin said that Ms. Zhao's compliance was particularly good, and her mentality adjusted relatively quickly, and the prenatal examination during pregnancy was very punctual, and she did not fall behind once.
Ms. Zhao calculated the accounts, 2 IVF egg retrievals, 4 embryo transfers to give birth to 3 children, and spent nearly 200,000 yuan in total. "It's all worth it for the baby. Ms. Zhao said that now when she meets relatives and friends with similar problems, she will recommend them to the reproductive endocrinology department of the Women's Hospital of Zhejiang University to have a look, "I have gone through a lot of detours myself, and I have wasted a lot of money and energy, I hope that those who have the same needs as me can receive professional guidance and treatment here, find hope, and find happiness." ”
Quick answer from the experts
IVF technology has entered the third generation
In 1995, the first case of "gift baby" in Zhejiang Province was born, and then, the assisted reproductive technology in Zhejiang Province gradually entered the fast lane, the conditions of the laboratory were gradually improved, and the technology of IVF also entered the current third generation from the first generation, and the IVF of assisted reproduction was spread all over the country.
"Our clinic mainly sees patients who want to have children but are unable to conceive naturally, and in terms of infertility reasons, men and women are about equally divided. ”
Zhu Yimin said that there is an obvious trend in recent years, that is, the average age of patients who come to IVF has been increasing, "10 years ago, the average age of patients was 30 years old, and now the average age is 33-34 years old, and some women are 45-47 years old, and the chance of natural pregnancy is very small, so they resort to assisted reproductive technology." ”
She believes that this is closely related to the change of people's conception of fertility, as well as the influence of factors such as the stress environment in the workplace, including the decline in the quality of men's sperm and the history of multiple miscarriages in women.
In the past 5-6 years, Zhejiang has approved some new medical units that can do IVF and PGT (pre-implantation genetic testing), and the problem of strict control of indications is more severe. At present, 25.3% of the indications in the Women's Hospital of Zhejiang University only regard ovarian dysfunction as the primary IVF, and the fallopian tube factors (24.3%) and male factors (13.6%) exceed the primary indications.
What is the success rate of IVF?
The main concern of all patients who come to the reproductive endocrinology clinic is - how high is the success rate of IVF?
Zhu Yimin said that the answer depends on the specific situation of the couple, first to find the cause of infertility, and then can "symptomatic treatment", such as some women have poor ovarian function, and IVF generally needs to obtain 8-10 eggs;
Judging from the previous reception, the success rate of IVF is relatively high, with a success rate of about 70% and two to three successes of about 90% for unexplained infertility (referring to young women who have no special reasons and only minor problems such as poor fallopian tubes, and no problems with the man's routine examination).
"In the past, people mainly cared about giving birth, but now everyone has higher requirements for childbirth, not only to conceive and give birth, but also to give birth well. Zhu Yimin said that the success rate of IVF depends not only on the patient's own factors, but also on the communication between doctors and patients.
In terms of age, Zhu Yimin suggested that if a woman has a plan to have a child, it is best to arrange it before the age of 35, because the aging of the egg is more than the aging of the body, before the age of 30, the woman's uterine environment and egg quality are at the peak, and after the age of 30, it will gradually age, and even fall off a cliff at the age of 38.
"Ten years ago, less than 10% of women over the age of 35 came to the clinic, but our statistics in the past two years have found that the proportion has reached 27.8%. Zhu Yimin said that in fact, whether it is natural conception or assisted reproduction, it is not recommended that women delay too late, and seek medical treatment as soon as possible, and the success rate will be relatively higher.
Is there a difference between IVF and a regular baby?
There are still many people who are concerned, is the baby of IVF healthy, and is it different from ordinary babies?
In fact, Xiaoya's example can illustrate this problem, she grew up healthy, married and had children, and the child is now 1 year old, and her growth and health status are the same as normal babies. ”
Director Zhu Yimin said that the world's first test-tube baby Louis Brown was born in 1978 and is now over 45 years old, and has two normally born children.
"We have also tracked and compared the intellectual development of IVF and naturally conceived babies, and found that there is no big difference overall, but many of the IVF babies have good academic performance. ”
In addition, many parents are worried about health problems, this problem from the perspective of the parents, IVF parents have some kind of defects than couples who are able to conceive naturally, and these defects may be passed on to their offspring. However, with the advancement of medical technology, more and more genetic defects will be discovered and eliminated through technology. For example, monogenic diseases and chromosomal diseases can be transferred through the third generation of IVF technology, which makes IVF less likely to suffer from hereditary diseases than naturally conceived babies and appears healthier.
Although technology has advanced greatly, as women get older, the success rate of IVF decreases significantly, and the risk of birth defects also increases. Therefore, if young couples are clear about infertility, it is recommended to do IVF as soon as possible after trying other means to avoid losing the last chance.
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