Test tube babies and the professor who was called "crazy"

Coming into life from many different circumstances, these "test tube babies" from being doubted about their ability to survive, have grown up as healthy as their peers. The efforts of the professor who was once called "crazy" have now borne fruit.

The end of April marked the 25th anniversary of the birth of the first three children in Vietnam through in vitro fertilization (IVF). Since then, thousands of infertile couples have enjoyed the joy of having children this way.

Emotional reunions and smiles were seen at Tu Du Hospital (HCMC), not only between the "test tube babies" themselves, but also between the fathers, mothers, and doctors who have pursued the journey of nurturing life for a quarter of a century.

Looking at the two children Duong Gia Khang and Duong Gia Hung (7 years old) smiling and happily playing with each other, Thu Hien's (36 years old, from Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa) face showed happiness. The mother revealed that her two sons are not only "test tube babies", but also the first pair of twins in Vietnam born through surrogacy.

Ms. Hien shared that she had long ago discovered that she had a "childish" uterine defect, with partial agenesis of the vagina. This condition made it very difficult for her to have children, even though her ovaries developed normally. When she got married, both her husband and his family accepted this reality, but her womanly instincts made her constantly yearn to become a mother.

Ten years ago, IVF technology had developed, but the young wife's search for a child seemed to have reached a dead end, because she could not conceive on her own. The turning point came in 2015, when Vietnamese law allowed surrogacy. Upon receiving this news, Ms. Hien immediately went to Tu Du Hospital, asking the doctor to hold on to the hope of having a child that had just glimmered.

Heaven does not disappoint those who try, right in the first time of IVF and embryo transfer to my cousin, the doctors were successful. "The day I knew I was going to have a baby, and not just one but two babies, everything exploded for me" - Ms. Hien shared.

Unable to bear the burden of childbirth herself, Ms. Hien anxiously waited every hour, every minute, praying that the babies "borrowing her belly" would develop smoothly. Because of the risk of premature birth, from the 29th week of pregnancy, the pregnant woman was injected with lung support drugs. By the 35th week, the mother's worries were finally relieved, when the twins cried for the first time one day in mid-March 2016, weighing 2.1kg and 1.9kg respectively.

21 years, is the time that Ms. Tran Ngoc My (45 years old) has been attached to the Obstetrics Department M of Tu Du Hospital. Taking care of many mothers with different difficult circumstances, who would have thought that one day, the nurse would also become a patient "praying for a child" at the very place where she devoted her youth.

Ms. My shared that after getting married but still not having children, she and her husband went to the doctor and were given bad news: The wife had polycystic ovaries, and the husband also had weak sperm. Even though she was a medical worker, facing the fact that it would be very difficult to have children, anxiety filled her heart.

When she calmed down, Ms. My decided to put her faith in in vitro fertilization, with the support of Associate Professor, Dr. Vuong Thi Ngoc Lan, who was then Deputy Head of the Infertility Department, Tu Du Hospital. And that faith was quickly rewarded, when two embryos were successfully cultured and transferred into the uterus after only one procedure.

But that was just the beginning of many storms that came one after another. During the time his wife was pregnant with twins, My's husband suddenly suffered from appendicitis and had to undergo surgery, but the wound became severely infected.

While she was busy worrying about her husband, the nurse suddenly had a fever and cough. In mid-2009, the bird flu epidemic was breaking out strongly in Vietnam. Due to suspicious symptoms, the woman was taken to the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases for isolation, when she was just over 27 weeks pregnant.

The incident piled up and took a heavy toll on Ms. My’s mental health. After returning to the hospital after completing quarantine, the mother suddenly went into premature labor, when her babies were only 28 weeks and 5 days old, weighing only 1.2-1.4kg.

"Usually at this gestational age, babies are born with many complications, making care and treatment very difficult. But fortunately, my children were taken care of by colleagues and doctors, so they quickly stabilized after being in an incubator and cared for by kangaroos. Now, the children are 14 years old. Honestly, the journey of raising them was very difficult, but for me, as long as my children grow up healthy and study normally, I am very happy" - the nurse confided.

Having gone through the arduous journey of trying to conceive, Ms. My believes that anyone who is infertile will feel anxious, especially women. Nowadays, medicine is increasingly developing, and there are many different treatment methods. Therefore, the nurse hopes that everyone will boldly put their trust in doctors and hospitals. Just persevere, and one day you will enjoy the happiness of holding your little angel in your arms.

"I also encourage my children to study medicine and become doctors in the future to pursue a career in healthcare like their parents," My smiled.

Witnessing children born through IVF grow up and mature, because she was the one who laid the first foundation, Professor, Doctor Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, former Director of Tu Du Hospital, felt both happy and indescribably emotional.

"More than 20 years ago, people said I was crazy. Because at that time the population of Vietnam and the world was increasing rapidly, I had no plans to "have children". But as a woman, I, like my sisters, really wanted to be a mother. Having difficulty or not having children was very sad, and at that time there were many strict concepts about women, especially the saying "single women without children".

Therefore, no matter how difficult it is, I am determined to successfully perform the in vitro fertilization method," said Professor, Doctor Ngoc Phuong.

Recalling the time more than two decades ago, Professor Phuong shared that she kept in mind that she would keep trying, and never stop until she could do it. She had witnessed many patients whose families were broken because they could not have children, many who suffered because their husbands threatened to divorce them. Some even threatened to commit suicide because they could not bear the pressure of public opinion.

"Just thinking about the pain they are suffering, I am constantly tormented and try to speed up the reproductive support program to help them overcome this pain," Professor, Doctor Ngoc Phuong was moved.

From sleepless nights, Professor Phuong packed up every penny of her salary to study abroad in France, determined to bring IVF technology to Vietnam, hoping to make the dream of becoming a mother of infertile women come true. From a reproductive support center (HTSS) with many initial shortages at Tu Du Hospital, up to now, Vietnam has nearly 50 HTSS and infertility units from the South to the North.

Recalling the time when she first entered the field of infertility treatment, Associate Professor, Dr. Vuong Thi Ngoc Lan (currently working at the HOPE Clinical Research Unit, My Duc Hospital) confided that in the late 90s of the 20th century, IVF was still very strange in Vietnam. Very few people supported this method, because they thought that babies born in test tubes would develop abnormally, be deformed, or have monsters... Many people even looked down on them: "There is not enough food to eat, not enough clothes to wear, but you have to worry about such "delicacies".

Therefore, when performing the first IVF cases, doctors had to be very careful, because even one abnormality could become a very big problem. Overcoming social barriers and prejudices, Professor Ngoc Phuong, Doctor Ngoc Lan and the medical staff of Tu Du Hospital safely delivered 3 "test tube babies" Luu Tuyet Tran, Mai Quoc Bao and Pham Tuong Lan Thy, marking a turning point for the development of the IVF profession in Vietnam.

The success of IVF technology opens up opportunities for many Vietnamese families, as the cost of IVF in Vietnam is only 1/3 to 1/5 compared to abroad. However, according to Dr. Ngoc Lan, there are still many families in difficult circumstances, not financially able to go the long way, not everyone is lucky enough to conceive from the first embryo transfer. Looking at the sad eyes of couples after many failed IVF attempts, in some cases having to sell all their life savings but still not being able to hold a child, her heart aches.

So the doctor went looking for an answer to the question: Is fresh embryo transfer more effective and less expensive for the patient? Is there another method that does not require ovarian stimulation drugs, to both save costs and reduce health risks?

That is the premise for the CAPA - IVM technique (in vitro fertilization of immature oocytes without using ovarian stimulation drugs) to be born, from the research conducted by Associate Professor Ngoc Lan and her colleagues. The CAPA - IVM method lights up hope for patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and even patients with gynecological cancer to still have the opportunity to preserve their motherhood.

The above research results were published in the world-renowned medical journal The New England Journal of Medicine in January 2018, bringing the name of Associate Professor, Dr. Vuong Thi Ngoc Lan into the top 100 Asian scientists in 2020, voted by the Asian Scientist Magazine (Singapore). Even many doctors from far away Australia, Italy, Germany, the US... have come to Vietnam to learn the CAPA - IVM technique.

To achieve success that brings glory to the country's medicine, in addition to her tireless efforts, Associate Professor Vuong Thi Ngoc Lan was also deeply influenced by her mother - Professor, Doctor Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong. "I always keep in mind my mother's teachings, that to treat patients well, one must be good at one's profession - that is the first thing, and one must have a heart. My mother is like a great teacher. I learned her attitude and spirit of working with all my heart, sacrificing my personal time for the mission of serving and caring for patients, thinking of the patients first" - Associate Professor Ngoc Lan confided.

PROOF OF LIFE "The IVF method, along with everyone's efforts over the years, has turned tears of sadness into bursts of happiness. And especially, it has given many infertile couples the opportunity to fulfill their responsibilities as a mother, a father... As an IVF child, I am proud to have come to this life, and I feel more sorry for my parents because it was very difficult to give birth to me. We ourselves are proof that, no matter what method we are born by, children can still develop normally and healthily" - Do Song Mai Hanh, (20 years old, student of the Faculty of Journalism, University of Social Sciences and Humanities - VNU-HCM), one of the two "test tube babies" of Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Yen, shared on the reunion day at Tu Du Hospital.

Content: Hoang Le Photo: Hoang Le, My Duc Hospital Design: Thuy Tien

Dantri.com.vn

source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/nhung-em-be-ong-nghiem-va-vi-giao-su-bi-noi-khung-20230518110627626.htm