In vitro fertilization: the challenge of the eighties

A review of the in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer program between July 1979 and December 1980 at The Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, is presented. A total of 402 treatment cycles involving 186 patients have produced five pregnancies. Two pregnancies resulted from spontaneous ovulatory cycles and three from stimulated cycles. One live birth of a normal female child is reported. The protocol for both spontaneous and stimulated cycles and the problems that each produces are discussed. It is concluded that the stimulated cycle is to be preferred, because it allows higher rates of ovum recovery and embryo transfer. The fertilization and cleavage rates are the same for both methods. Associated research into in vitro blastocyst development, steroidogenesis in the corona cells, and the detection of other "early pregnancy factors" is presented and discussed. The paper concludes with a short statement on the ethical and moral problems posed by the research.