VietNamNet Bridge – The first child conceived via in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) in the central Da Nang City's Pediatrics and Obstetrics hospital was born yesterday, Dec 25.

The baby, who lived in his mother's womb for 38 weeks and four days, is the first test-tube infant in the central and Central Highlands region. The birth of this child raises the hopes for thousands of infertile married couples in the region.

The boy is the first son of Doan Viet Ha and Pham Thuy Trang, after a four-year wait and three unsuccessful attempts with intrauterine insemination (IUI). Two other mothers also gave birth at the same hospital yesterday morning.

"It provides a milestone for our doctors and nurses in terms of dealing with infertile married couples in the region. An in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) centre was established in the hospital in 2004. This was founded in co-operation with and support from doctors and experts of HCM City's Tu Du Hospital," said Da Nang Pediatrics and Obstetrics Hospital Director Tran Dinh Vinh.

"We had successfully applied various technical methods, including fresh versus frozen embryo transfers, eggs fertilised in-vitro, IUI and test-tubes. Moreover, 61 children of mothers in the central region were born at the Tu Du hospital. However, this child is the first test-tube baby that doctors from the Da Nang-based hospital handled themselves using transferred technology and equipment," Vinh disclosed.

The IVF centre at the Da Nang-based hospital has been the 19th recognised unit by the Ministry of Health that helps infertile married couples in the region.

Dr. Ho Manh Tuong, head of the Research Centre for Genetics and Reproductive Health under the National University in HCM City, said that 20,000 test-tube babies have been born in Viet Nam since 1998.

VNS/VNN