Archie Manning is the first (and much-wanted) baby for Brisbane couple Michelle and Ross Manning but he is the 1000th for City Fertility Centre Brisbane.
After years of trying to have a baby, Michelle and Ross, 32 and 34 respectively, finally had their dream for a family come true. Little Archie is now four months old and Michelle said that while the whole journey had been long and emotional, it had been worth it.
“Archie is just such a lovely little boy, the drama of our fertility issues are fading fast – we are just overwhelmed with the joy of being parents,” she said.
Michelle and Ross tried for 18 months for a baby before visiting their doctor and seeking the help of City Fertility Centre.
After treatment for endometriosis and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), the couple tried a number of assisted reproductive technology (ART) methods and underwent four IVF cycles before succeeding.
While City Fertility Centre has reached the 1000th baby milestone in Brisbane and is nearing 2000 babies nationally, the world is nearing 5 million babies born as a result of ART.
The worldwide ART figures were presented this month at the 28th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, in Istanbul, Turkey, which was attended by some of City Fertility Centre’s specialists.
City Fertility Centre opened in Wickham Terrace, Brisbane, in 2003 and is now the largest independently owned fertility group in Australia, with clinics not only in Queensland but also in Victoria and South Australia.
City Fertility managing and scientific director Adnan Catakovic said ART had come a long way since the first IVF baby, Louise Brown, was born in England 34 years ago, in July 1978.
“IVF technology is advancing all the time, and we are now able to carry out full chromosomal screening on all chromosomes in a developing embryo (CGH testing) and rapid freezing of embryos, resulting in higher survival rates (vitrification), which wasn’t available when we opened our doors 10 years ago,” Mr Catakovic said.
“IVF science will continue to advance and more and more couples with fertility issues will be able to receive medical assistance to achieve pregnancy.”
