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First IVF Baby Reflects on 12 Million 'Siblings'
22 Mar
Summary
- Elizabeth Carr, the first US IVF baby, was born in 1981.
- She shares common, unusual questions about her conception.
- IVF now serves diverse groups beyond infertility patients.

Elizabeth Carr, the first baby born through in vitro fertilization (IVF) in the United States on December 28, 1981, recently shared her perspective on the technology's progress. Carr, now 44 years old, spoke about the significant media attention her birth garnered, noting that IVF was illegal in her home state of Massachusetts at the time. Her parents pursued the groundbreaking procedure due to her mother's recurrent ectopic pregnancies.
Carr addresses persistent, often unusual, questions about her conception, clarifying that IVF involves petri dishes, not test tubes, and results in a natural pregnancy. She emphasizes that IVF's applications have expanded significantly beyond its original purpose. Today, it assists individuals facing military deployments, cancer treatments requiring fertility preservation, and LGBTQ+ individuals building families. Carr expressed pride in being connected to the estimated 12 million babies born worldwide through IVF and similar technologies.



