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Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.

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Infertility historical perspective

Introduction

Overview

Overview

Infertility has always been emotionally distressing and a cause of social stigma for the woman involved. Many cultures had their own explanations and beliefs around infertility.

Historical perspective

Historical perspective

  • Historically, infertility was associated with social stigma and embarrassment for women particularly.
  • A lot of cultures encouraged having a second wife as to have offspring.[1]
  • The value of a woman was placed almost entirely on how fertile she was and how many children she could bear.
  • The discourse around infertility changed from a religion-centric view to a scientific view after the discovery of spermatozoa and other advancements in modern medicine.[2]
Landmark events in the development of treatment stratergies

Landmark events in the development of treatment stratergies

  • Artificial insemination was first discovered by Lazzaro Spallanzani in Italy. His first experiment in artificial insemination was successfully performed on dogs.[3]
  • The first successful case of artificial insemination in humans was performed by Dr. John Hunter, a Scottish surgeon. [4]
  • The first “test tube baby” was born with the help of IVF successfully performed by Robert G. Edwards and Patrick Steptoe in 1978. [5]
  1. ↑ Fortunato L (2011). “Reconstructing the history of marriage strategies in Indo-European-speaking societies: monogamy and polygyny”. Hum Biol. 83 (1): 87–105. doi:10.3378/027.083.0106. PMID 21453006.
  2. ↑ Puerta Suárez J, du Plessis SS, Cardona Maya WD (2018). “Spermatozoa: A Historical Perspective”. Int J Fertil Steril. 12 (3): 182–190. doi:10.22074/ijfs.2018.5316. PMC 6018180. PMID 29935062.
  3. ↑ JOHNSTON DR (1963). “The history of human infertilit”. Fertil Steril. 14: 261–72. doi:10.1016/s0015-0282(16)34860-9. PMID 13957890.
  4. ↑ Ombelet W, Van Robays J (2015). “Artificial insemination history: hurdles and milestones”. Facts Views Vis Obgyn. 7 (2): 137–43. PMC 4498171. PMID 26175891.
  5. ↑ Steptoe PC, Edwards RG (1978). “Birth after the reimplantation of a human embryo”. Lancet. 2 (8085): 366. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(78)92957-4. PMID 79723.
References

References

Template:WikiDoc Sources

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [2] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Sanjana Nethagani, M.B.B.S.[3]