Written by Health Reporter Jordanna Schriever
From multiple to single births and fresh to frozen embryos, IVF has changed in the past 30 years.
Repromed deputy medical director Dr Christine Kirby assisted in the state’s first successful IVF pregnancy, which resulted in twins born in 1983.
She said success rates had increased markedly, especially for older women, while the number of embryos implanted and multiple births have dropped.
“In 1982, we had nine successful pregnancies from 27 embryo transfers. . . nowadays, we have gone from that rate with three or four embryos being implanted to 45 per cent (success) for a single embryo,” she said.
The state’s first successful IVF pregnancy was through Flinders Reproductive Medicine.
Triplets Kirby and Meridee Shearing and Kerin Newton were born soon after.
Kirby and Kerin were named after IVF doctors: pioneer Professor John Kerin and Dr Kirby.
Their mother Cynthia Matthews said parents now underwent shorter, less invasive procedures, than the “stressful” injections and tests she had to endure every day.
“Then you hope against hope that you would achieve pregnancy,” she said.
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