IVF AT 40: Louise Brown and Roger Gosden In Conversation

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We are honoured that Louise Brown, the first person to be born through IVF, celebrated her 40th birthday at the Science Museum. She was joined by Roger Gosden, a former doctoral student of IVF pioneer Robert Edwards and expert in female infertility, for a one-off in-conversation event in our IMAX Theatre, chaired by Science Museum Director of External Affairs, Roger Highfield. The development of in vitro fertilisation, or IVF, culminating in the ‘miraculous’ birth of Louise Joy Brown on 25 July 1978, was a defining moment for reproductive technology pioneered by British researchers. Louise’s birth followed ten years of experimentation, hundreds of failed attempts and many setbacks for Robert Edwards, Patrick Steptoe and Jean Purdy, the scientists responsible for this remarkable achievement.