Xinhua News Agency reporters Lin Miaomiao and Ni Yuanjin.
Zheng Mengzhu became a mother. Zheng Mengzhu, the first test-tube baby in mainland China, gave birth to a baby boy at the Third Hospital of Peking University on April 15. 31 years ago, she gained life through in vitro fertilization. After graduating from university, she came to work at Peking University Third Hospital, where she gratefully repaid the hospital and welcomed the arrival of a new life.
Over the past 31 years, from the first test-tube baby in mainland China to becoming a mother, Zheng Mengzhu has witnessed the process of China's assisted reproductive technology from "germination" to "vigorous development" in scientific research and clinical application.
Sprout: Assisted reproductive technology in mainland China had a difficult start.
Weighing 3,850 grams, 52 centimeters long, and crying loudly - at 8:34 on April 15, a healthy baby boy was born in the obstetric operating room of Peking University Third Hospital. 31 years ago, Zheng Mengzhu, the mother of the first test-tube baby in mainland China, was also born in this hospital. The birth of Zheng Mengzhu not only changed the fate of a family, but also marked a new chapter in the development of reproductive medicine technology in China.
The world's first IVF case, Louise Brown, was born in the UK in 1978. In the 80s of the 20th century, Professor Zhang Lizhu of the Third Hospital of Beijing Medical University (now the Third Hospital of Peking University) developed IVF technology on the basis of the limited experience he had accumulated, drawing on foreign experience and combining with China's national conditions. In 1986, with the funding of the National Natural Science Commission, the former Ministry of Health included the "test-tube baby" research in the "Seventh Five-Year Plan" National Science and Technology Program, and Professor Zhang Lizhu served as the leader of the research team.
Liu Ping, chief physician of the Center for Reproductive Medicine at Peking University Third Hospital, was a young doctor in Zhang Lizhu's team in 1988. "Professor Zhang Lizhu led us to start from very difficult conditions, and the experimental equipment for embryo culture is quite complete. Simple. I trotted all the way from the hospital to the medical school lab with an insulated bucket full of follicular fluid. Liu Ping said.
Before Zheng Mengzhu's mother became pregnant, Professor Zhang Lizhu led a team to perform more than 10 embryo transfers on some patients, but all failed at different stages. They continued to research and improve the conditions for embryo culture and transfer, and finally succeeded. On March 10, 1988, Zheng Mengzhu, the first test-tube baby in mainland China, was born.
Growth: From "born good" to "born good".
After more than 30 years of rapid development, from the "first case in the world" in 1978 to the "first case in Chinese mainland" ten years later, China's reproductive medicine has now "led" in some fields. On September 19, 2014, the world's first IVF for screening monogenic genetic diseases by high-throughput sequencing of Malbac genome amplification was born in Peking University Third Hospital, marking that China's preimplantation genetic diagnosis technology has reached an international leading position. World. Leading the way.
It is known that the father of the baby is a patient with a monogenic dominant genetic disease, and his offspring have a 1 in 2 chance of developing the same disease. With the joint efforts of Professor Qiao Jie's team from Peking University Third Hospital, Professor Xie Xiaoliang's team from Peking University, and Professor Tang Fuchou's team, embryos that did not contain relevant disease-causing genes were screened through gene sequencing technology, and the couple's children were finally freed from the disease. Plagued by this genetic disease.
Not only infertility, but also Zheng Mengzhu was born more than 30 years ago, China's assisted reproductive technology and its derivative technologies are turning to the direction of overcoming monogenic genetic diseases, blocking birth defects, and achieving eugenics. Qiao Jie, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and president of Peking University Third Hospital, said that there are more than 7,000 known monogenic genetic diseases, and hundreds of genetic diseases can now be genetically screened and clearly diagnosed before embryo implantation, which will help more families. Achieve good health and good education.
The protection and preservation of fertility is also one of the key directions in the development of assisted reproductive technology. "Some radiotherapy and chemotherapy can affect the function of the ovaries and **. Qiao Jie said that before the tumor, oocytes, ovarian tissue, embryos, etc. can be frozen, which will give the patient a chance after the tumor. Give birth to a healthy child.
Rationality: The issue of age cannot be ignored.
After graduating from university, Zheng Mengzhu chose to work in the Center for Reproductive Medicine at Peking University Third Hospital, where she is currently responsible for case management. "At work, I meet a lot of couples who want to have IVF, and some patients are anxious because it may not be successful. I sometimes talk to them and help them relax. "There were a lot of patients at that time, and everyone did their best to help my parents, and now I can help more families like this, and I am very happy," Zheng said. ”
Liu Ping said that assisted reproductive technology was originally aimed at childless and primary infertility families. With the relaxation of the two-child policy, more and more families want to use this technology to have a second child. As a result, doctors are often faced with relatively complex situations, such as delayed childbearing, superposition of multiple diseases that may affect reproductive function, etc.
Yu Qi, deputy director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Beijing, believes that "the age problem cannot be ignored". The success rate of IVF is age-related. The success rate of IVF will decrease significantly after the age of 35 and even more so after the age of 40, because usually the older the age, the relative decline in ovarian function. Therefore, technology is not a panacea and must be viewed rationally.