"I want to make test tubes, but my friend said that test tube babies have a short life span. Is it true?" "Are naturally pregnant babies healthier than test-tube babies?" Backstage mothers often ask these questions, but in fact, more than one parent has such concerns. Since the world's first test-tube baby, Louise Brown, was born in 1978, she has now raised two children healthily at the age of 46; Zheng Mengzhu, the first test-tube baby in China, also successfully gave birth naturally at the age of 37-plus decades of research data have proved that there is no statistical difference in life expectancy between test-tube babies and ordinary babies. What really makes the two different are these four places that are easy to ignore.
The "starting point" of an ordinary baby is the natural combination of father's sperm and mother's eggs in the mother's fallopian tube; while the "starting point" of test-tube babies is one more step: the doctor will first remove the eggs from the mother's ovaries, and then work with the father. The sperm is placed in a laboratory that simulates a human environment, cultured for 3 to 6 days to form an embryo, and then placed back into the mother's uterus.
The "starting point" for ordinary babies is the natural combination of a father's sperm and a mother's egg within the mother's fallopian tubes. In contrast, the process of creating IVF babies involves an additional step: doctors first extract the egg from the mother's ovaries, then place it together with the father's sperm in a laboratory environment that simulates the human body. There, the cells are cultured for 3 to 6 days until an embryo is formed. Finally, the embryo is transferred back into the mother's uterus.
But don’t worry about any effects occurring outside the body. Once the embryo returns to the uterus, it will develop just like a normal fetus. The genes of the embryo still come from both parents, so there is no difference in the fundamental aspects of life.
Many people are afraid of the high risk of IVF. There is indeed one difference: Deng Shan, director of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, said that IVF may be slightly more likely to encounter placenta previa and gestational diabetes, and the probability of premature birth and low birth weight will also be higher.
Many people are concerned about the high risks associated with in vitro fertilization. Indeed, there are some differences: Director Deng Shan of Peking Union Medical College Hospital said that in vitro fertilization for a single pregnancy may lead to a slightly higher risk of placenta previa, gestational diabetes, premature birth, and a lower birth weight for the baby.
,,,.Most hospitals now recommend transplanting only one embryo. In the past ten years, the health problems of IVF babies have been reduced by 20%. As long as pregnancy checkups are performed on time and doctors communicate more, these small risks can be basically resolved.
This is a special advantage of IVF-the embryos of ordinary babies rely entirely on natural selection. If there are genetic diseases or chromosomal problems, it may affect health; but the third generation of IVF can be "screened" in advance: doctors Take a few cells from the embryos for genetic testing, remove embryos with single gene diseases (such as thalassemia) and chromosomal abnormalities, and only transplant healthy ones.
This is a significant advantage of test-tube babies. The embryos of regular babies are subject to natural selection. If there are genetic disorders or chromosomal problems, it could affect their health. However, in the third-generation IVF process, screenings can be conducted in advance. Doctors take a small sample of cells from the embryo for genetic testing. Embryos carrying single-gene diseases (such as thalassemia) or chromosomal abnormalities are eliminated, and only healthy embryos are transferred into the uterus.
A study published in the in 2021 found that babies born from this screening process have a 15% lower rate of congenital defects. Additionally, they are less likely to develop chronic diseases as adults, which essentially creates an extra layer of “health protection”.
Natural pregnancy does not require additional medical intervention, and doing test tubes is a complete process: more than ten tests are done first (such as checking mother's ovarian function and father's sperm quality), and then mother has to have an 8 to 14-day induction injection, followed by egg retrieval, and then embryo transfer, for at least 3 weeks.
Natural pregnancy does not require any additional medical interventions. On the other hand, in vitro fertilization involves a complete process: first, more than ten tests are conducted (such as checking the mother’s ovarian function and the father’s sperm quality). Then, the mother receives ovulation-stimulating injections for 8 to 14 days. After that, eggs are retrieved, and the embryo is transferred into the uterus. The entire cycle takes at least three weeks.
: 2-5, 3-8,, 10.In addition, after their mothers have an ovulation-inducing injection, about 25% of them will have a little ovarian discomfort, but most of them are mild reactions, and the probability of serious complications is particularly low, so there is no need to worry too much.
The differences between test-tube babies and ordinary babies are mainly concentrated on the conception method and technical characteristics, rather than the quality of life after birth.
,.Nowadays, technologies such as AI-assisted embryo selection and blastocyst culture are becoming more and more mature, and the difference between test-tube babies and ordinary babies is still getting smaller. For families who want to make test tubes, this is not a "second best choice", but a scientific method to realize the dream of having a baby.