The Danang Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital on Dec 25 welcomed the first child conceived via in-vitro fertilization (IVF), raising the hopes for thousands of infertile married couples in the central and Central Highlands regions of Vietnam. This child is the first test-tube baby that doctors from the Danang-based hospital handled themselves using transferred technology and equipment, said the hospital’s Director Tran Dinh Vinh. 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 hospital in the same day. An in-vitro fertilization (IVF) center 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, the doctor said. The IVF center at the Da Nang-based hospital has been the 19th recognized unit by the Ministry of Health that helps infertile married couples in the region. Dr. Ho Manh Tuong, head of the Research Center for Genetics and Reproductive Health under the National University in HCM City, said that 20,000 test-tube babies have been born in Vietnam since 1998. (Thanh Nien – Young People Dec 26)
