Family Creations Blog —

One Egg Donor’s Experience – Part IV

by Admin on January 27, 2011

b15 Our very own case manager is getting closer and closer to her egg retrieval! She starts her injections for the cycle this weekend and shares her latest egg donation update!

Getting Close!

Monday morning I went in for my appointment and all went well! I had a vaginal ultrasound, blood drawn and urinated in a cup. The blood tests were to check my hormone levels, just to be sure that I’m ready to get started on the medications. I had to urinate in a cup again because the FDA testing that is completed during the cycle must take place within 30 days of retrieval.

After I was done with everything, the nurse brought me in her office and went over the medications with me. She gave me my medication and the medication protocol. She also had a box of syringes, vials, etc. to use to refresh my memory on how to administer the medication. Seems like a piece of cake! After my refresher with the nurse, I remember all of the medication details from my previous cycle and I’m not so nervous about taking the injections. It’s like riding a bike! I was also given strict instructions to refrigerate one of the medications. The nurse told me that I should bring this medication to room temperature before injecting it into me because then it wouldn’t sting so much. I definitely appreciate her advice!

Monday afternoon, the nurse called me to let me know that my blood results came back and look good so I am cleared to start the medication on Saturday!

I was also given strict instruction not to have intercourse while I’m on the medications and that I could resume sexual activity after I receive my next period. My next period should start about 10-14 days after retrieval. It’s important not to have intercourse even after retrieval because it’s possible that the doctor may not remove 100% of the follicles (eggs) during the retrieval and I could still get pregnant. Not to mention the risk of infection, etc.

I was also told not to exercise excessively while I’m on the medications. My family is planning a snowboarding trip the weekend after my retrieval and I was told that I can resume vigorous activity when I start feeling better after the retrieval. However, I will likely be bloated and not feel up to snowboarding until after my next period 10-14 days later. It will still be a fun weekend with my family, even if I can’t enjoy the snow on the slopes (I’ll just have to go shopping with my mom in town J ).

My next appointment is scheduled for Monday morning so the doctor can check my progress on the medications. After Monday’s appointment, they’ll let me know when they want to see me back in the office. The anticipated dates of appointments next week are Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday but this could change, depending on how my body reacts to the medication.

As I mentioned in my previous entries, I have let my family and boyfriend’s family know when my anticipated retrieval date will be to ensure that someone will be available to take me to my retrieval. As fate would have it, my grandmother is scheduled for knee surgery on February 8^th and my mom will need to be with her that day. So, if my retrieval falls on the 8^th, she won’t be able to accompany me. My dad is leaving town on the 9^th so he may not be available to take me either. I’m so glad that I have a large support system because I still have a few other people who will likely be available to accompany me the day of retrieval.

I’ll have more updates next week!

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One Egg Donor’s Experience – Part III

by Admin on January 26, 2011

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Family Creations case manager shares another update on her cycle…

We have legal clearance!

Just before the holidays, I had a chance to review the contract that I received and speak with my attorney about each section in the contract. A few changes needed to be made but they were simple changes that made the language more clear. Once I received the revised copy of the contract, I faxed a copy of my signature pages over to my attorney the same day and mailed the originals the following day. My attorney was then able to issue legal clearance.

Now that I am “legally cleared” I am fully protected and can start the medications upon the doctor’s request. When the nurse returned to work after the holidays, I received my cycle calendar. The dates are put together based upon the recipients and my menstrual cycle so I’m glad that we are able to get started quickly. The nurse told me that the day that I called to check on the status of the calendar, my recipients called the same morning about the same thing. They are just as anxious as I am.

Monday is my next appointment where I’ll have bloodwork and an ultrasound done. With this, the doctor will be able to determine if my body is ready to start the medications. If everything looks good then they will give me the medications at the clinic to bring home. (My last cycle, they shipped them directly to my house so it just depends on the clinic you work with.) I’ll also get a refresher on how to mix and administer the medications and review my protocol, dosage, etc. I’m due to start the injectable medications on Saturday the 29^th and I’m really nervous. The first injections is the biggest hurdle for me – I always hold my breath and count to three, breath again… wait… and count to three again before finally pricking myself for the first time. As soon as the first prick is done I always tell myself “Wow, that wasn’t so hard!”

On my cycle calendar are also the dates that I’ll need to go to monitoring appointments while I’m on the medications. I’ll go to 4 or 5 appointments over the (approximately) 10 day medication cycle, about ever other day. I’m really fortunate to work for such a great company that they are flexible with me taking some time off of work to attend these appointments. Working in field, they certainly have an understanding and appreciation for the process! The clinic is extremely flexible as well and has been able to schedule my appointments during my lunch breaks (so far) so I haven’t missed much work. During the cycle I may have to come in FIRST thing in the morning but I’ve already made arrangements at work and they’ll be able to accommodate my schedule during the cycle. It’s really important that I have that flexibility because the appointment dates aren’t flexible, due to the medication protocol. The clinic will be monitoring me closely to make sure that everything is going as planned and with careful monitoring, they are able to change my medication protocol as needed.

The BIG day is either February 8^th or 9^th. I’ve already told my parents, brother and boyfriend about the date so they can start making arrangements and I’ll have someone available to take me to the retrieval and drive me home. I keep stressing to them that while the tentative time window for the retrieval is the 8^th or 9^th, it could be earlier or later, depending on how my body reacts to the medications. With everyone supporting me, I know that someone will be able to be my taxi driver that day. I won’t be able to tell them the scheduled day of retrieval until two days prior to the retrieval but they understand.

I’ll send a new update soon!

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Take the Pledge! We did!

by Admin on January 11, 2011

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Family Creations is proud that each staff member has signed Oprah’s no phone zone pledge! Oprah has been on a mission to put an end to texting while driving. There has been a tremendous rise in the number of traffic accidents (many of them fatal) that are a result of drivers who are texting. We are devoted to Oprah’s cause and we are doing our part to ensure the roads are safe. If you agree that there is no place for text messaging on the road, then join Family Creations and sign Oprah’s pledge!

Take the pledge here: http://www.oprah.com/questionaire/ipledge.html?id=4

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One Egg Donor’s Experience – Part II

by Admin on December 16, 2010

Our very own Case Manager shares an update on her current egg donation cycle.

Moving Right Along!

Sunday morning I started my period and called the clinic right away to let them know. The clinic has an answering service that takes calls on the weekend so I let them know that I started my period and I needed to schedule an appointment for the 3^rd day of my period. I wasn’t sure if I would get a call back later Sunday but I wanted to leave a message anyway. I received a call on Monday morning to schedule my appointment. When I went in for my appointment, the doctor performed a vaginal ultrasound and told me that I had at least 10 resting follicles in each ovary. Then I proceeded to have my blood drawn. I noticed that they were going to take 10 vials of blood so I inquired as to what they were testing for. I was told that they were doing my FDA, hormone and genetic testing. They would be testing me for Cystic Fibrosis, Fragile X as well as Karyotype testing (testing for chromosomal abnormalities). These results may take about two weeks to come back. They are very important tests because they would be a great indicator as to whether or not my genetic offspring would face an increased risk of carrying or having a genetic abnormality. While it’s great information for the recipients to have, it’s also valuable knowledge for myself as I plan on having children of my own one day.

The nurse then gave me instructions to call the psychologist to set up my psychological evaluation and gave me a pack of birth control pills to start on the 3^rd day of my period. I called the psychologist and set up my appointment for Saturday. I will be driving to her office and the testing will take 2 hours because they will administer the MMPI-II test as well as a psychological consultation with the psychologist. I’ve taken the test in the past, for my first donation, and while it is very long (a few hundred questions), it’s fairly straight forward. There is sometimes a pen-and-paper version but I will be taking the test on a computer.

Yesterday I also received a copy of the contract. Working in this field, I know what to look for in the contract that may not be commonly included. It is very important, especially for a first time donor, to read through the contract carefully as there are things that you, as a donor, are responsible for in the future (relaying important medical information to the intended parents, information on how I could be in “breech of contract” and how that could effect me, etc). I’ve read through the contract carefully and scheduled a time to review the contract with my attorney early next week. During our consultation, he will go over the contract with me and answer any questions that I may have. Once I’ve received the final copy of the contract, I will fax my attorney the signature pages and mail in the original. Once both parties have signed the contract, we will have legal clearance.

Seeing my recipient’s first names on the contract really put things into perspective for me. Going through this process I’ve been completely focused on my responsibilities and while I understand that there is a whole other side to this process and a couple on the other end that I’m helping in a very big way, seeing their first names was very meaningful to me.

The nurse told me that since I was now on birth control pills, she would be able to set up a tentative calendar of dates. I hope to have that by next week. I was told that, because of the holidays, I would start the injectable medications with my next cycle. So, I will continue on my birth control pills, have a period, and start the medications sometime after my next period. Some clinics instruct donors to stay on the active birth control pills ONLY, and not have a period, so it’s very important to follow instructions given by the clinic.

It’s important for me to know when my estimated retrieval date will be so that I can find a companion for the day of retrieval. I will need someone to take me to the clinic and take me back home because I won’t be able to drive after being under anesthesia. The retrieval date will depend on how my body responds to the medications so there will be a window of a few days that the retrieval might fall on. I have several family members and close friends who will make themselves available during that week. Having a support system during this process is very important not only because I will need a ride on the day of retrieval but having someone to talk to about this process is important as well.

So, for now, I’m waiting for my genetic results to come back, I’m taking the birth control pills as directed, will go to my psychological appointment on Saturday and will consult with my attorney on Tuesday. I’ll have another update next week so stay tuned!

*Please note that all cycles are a bit different and each physician has his or her own protocol. Instructions for each individual donation will be provided by the physician that is coordinating the cycle.

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One Egg Donor’s Experience

by Admin on November 17, 2010

Each of Family Creation’s Donor Case Manager’s has been a previous egg donor. They have gone through the appointments, the ultrasounds, the lab work, the medications, the retrieval, and all things in between! This adds incredible value to the clients they assist (both recipient parents and egg donors) because they know first hand what the process entails! One of our case managers has just been selected as a donor and she will be sharing her experience on Family Creation’s blog to help educate prospective donors on what to expect. While she was not matched as a Family Creations donor, (this would pose an obvious conflict of interest) she was matched through a local doctor’s office that has a small pool of donors for their patients to choose from. Follow our Case Manager as she guides you through her experience.

My First Appointment

When I received an email from the clinic, letting me know that they had someone very interested in me as their donor, I was filled with surprise, joy and excitement. After being an available donor with their clinic for several months, I’m thrilled to hear that someone finally found their perfect donor and I’m more than excited to do anything that I can to help them on this journey. Being a proven donor, I’m familiar with the process and know what to expect when they bring me in for my initial screening. The doctor performed a vaginal ultrasound and said that my ovaries look “gorgeous” which I’m relieved to hear. Since they had done some preliminary blood tests to check my hormone levels a few months ago, they were able to approve me as a suitable donor candidate on the spot. The doctor then brought me into his office with the nurse and explained the next steps, medication, etc. Since my ovaries are very suppressed from taking birth control for years, the doctor instructed me to discontinue the pills and to call them on the first day of my next period. They also discussed what medication protocol would be best and most comfortable for me. I left their office with a great sense of relief not only because of the great care and attention of the clinics staff but also because we’re already one step closer to helping a couple start a family of their own.

Sure enough, my period started two days later and I called the clinic right away to let them know. They instructed me to stay off of my birth control pills and to call when I receive my next period. I also gave them my “black out dates” because the timing of the cycle is very intricate and my availability around the time the medication cycle is crucial. The clinic will be putting together a cycle timeline soon and because of the holidays the clinic anticipates my retrieval being in early January.

Since I am now “medically cleared” (all preliminary hormone and genetic testing, as well as vaginal ultrasounds are complete) the next step will be for the recipients to begin working on the legal contract. I’ve already introduced myself to my attorney so he will contact me when he has a copy of the contract for my review.

But, for now, all I have to do is wait…

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To Know or Not to Know: Using Identified or Anonymous Egg or Sperm Donors

by Admin on November 10, 2010

istock_000005697028small Stephanie Goldman-Levich, Co-Founder of Family Creations, LLC was asked to share her thoughts regarding one of the hot topics this year at ASRM’s annual conference – Open egg and sperm donation vs. anonymous donation. Read more about her thoughts below in blog written by Dawn Davenport, with Creating a Family:

To Know or Not to Know: Using Identified or Anonymous Egg or Sperm Donors

Deciding whether to use a known donor, a donor that agrees to release identifying information, or completely anonymous sperm or egg donor is a hot topic in infertility circles nowadays. The American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) Conference had a great session on this, and the panel has agreed to recreate the session by appearing on the Creating a Family show. (We’re booked solid until mid January, so it will be after that). So many issues are involved with this topic—both on the personal level of patients facing this decision and on a policy level. The issue is front and center right now because of the recent release of “My Daddy’s Name is Donor” a report by the Institute for American Values (I hate that title since donors are many things, but absolutely are not daddies.); Test Tube Families: Why the Fertility Market Needs Legal Regulation, a book by Naomi Cahn; Eggsploitation, a documentary by The Center for Bioethics and Culture; and the recent spate of movies that touch on this subject (The Kids Are All Right and The Switch). The Donor Sibling Registry has long encouraged use of identified donors.

On a personal level potential parents have to consider their needs, and their future child’s needs in the short term and also when they become an adult. Will the child want to know who they look like, will they want to contact the donor someday to get an updated medical history? Parents have to balance their need for “just being a normal family” and their desire to not complicate their child’s life with their child’s possible future desire or need for genetic information. They have to decide whose information this really is—theirs or the child’s. They are deciding all of this in the midst of one of the most stressful times in their life and before the potential child is even born. And those are just the rational considerations. There isn’t enough room to list the irrational, but real, thoughts that run through potential parents’ minds when making this decision. I should add that there is precious little long term research to guide their decision.

On the policy level, many are pushing for the government to get more involved. They reason that that’s the job of the government—to step in and regulate for our better good. Eleven countries already ban anonymous gamete donation because they believe it is not in the best interest of the child, the donor, or the parents. They argue that anonymous egg and sperm donation is encouraged by the “infertility industry” since it is easier and cheaper to administer. But does requiring the release of identifying information reduce the number of people who are willing to donate their egg and sperm. Should donors and prospective parents have the right to choose? While it is possible to ban anonymous donation, governments can’t require that parents tell their children. If a child doesn’t know they were conceived with donor sperm or egg, identity information is of little use.

I’m going to save the more in depth discussion of whether we should ban anonymous gamete donation for the Creating a Family show we will do, but I wanted to share some information I learned about on this topic at the conference. I spoke with Dr. Michelle Ottey, with Fairfax Cryobank and Cryogenic Laboratories about this issue. She told me that they had conducted an online survey of their clients in 2008 to learn more about what they wanted. They had a 99% response rate, with about 34% of respondents in a heterosexual relationship, 29% in a homosexual relationship, 28% were heterosexual singles, with the rest identifying with some other category.

They found that over 60% of the heterosexual couples preferred anonymous donation, 45% for heterosexual singles, and 50% for homosexual couples. About forty percent of the heterosexual couples and homosexual couples that chose an anonymous sperm donor said that anonymity was an important factor in choosing a donor, compared to just 20% of heterosexual singles.

Sixty-eight percent of respondents said they are not interested in seeking out half siblings by the same donor. Fairfax thought there might still be a need for a safe place to make this contact, so they set up an online forum on their site. These forums have been a great success, and subgroups have formed around individual donors. Perhaps there is more interest if the opportunity exists in a secure environment.

Dr. Ottey did not tell me the number of respondents, and this survey has not been peered review, but it is a snapshot of what people using sperm donation prefer. This confirms what I hear from our audience. From my discussions with couples choosing egg donation and from Marna Gatlin over at Parents Via Egg Donation, a wonderful support group, about half of the couples choosing egg donation prefer to use an anonymous donor.

I also had an interesting discussion with Stephanie Goldman-Levich, Co-Founder of Family Creations, an international egg donor and surrogate agency that facilitates anonymous, semi-open, and fully open egg donor arrangements. She is also an adult adoptee in a closed adoption. As you might imagine, she has thought about this issue a lot from both a personal and professional standpoint. I asked her to share her thoughts.

“At the time I was born, my parents hadn’t thought to request photos of my biological mother, or gather any genetic information to save for me when I got older. (They later went on to adopt my sister and brother and realized that would be nice information to have and therefore requested it from each of their biological mothers.) So while my parents were always very open with me about my conception, they didn’t have anything to share with me other than the story of my adoption. I didn’t think twice about this until I was in my early teens. The main thought that entered my mind around that time was “I wonder if I look like my biological mother!” As a young teenager, a simple photograph would have easily satisfied that curiosity. Moving into my high school years I also began wondering more about genetics. We learned about genetic diseases in health and biology classes, and it occurred to me that my family history was a blank slate. Doctor’s would ask in my yearly physical’s if I had a history of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, etc. All I could respond with was ‘I’m not sure. I’m adopted.’

Transitioning into egg donation, our program provides recipients with photographs of each egg donor, including a detailed profile which includes personal information and genetic information about the donor, and the donor’s family members. Recipient parents looking for an egg donor get to view this information prior to selecting a donor. This information is available to print, save, and provide to children (when parents deem it is appropriate) at any time in the future. In fact, our agency will very soon be providing recipients with a CD that includes all of their donor’s information so that they can share it with their offspring later on down the line if they choose to. While the profiles do not have the donor’s last name, date of birth, social security number, etc, (and therefore these would still be considered anonymous egg donation cycles), the profile would provide the child with photographs, personal information, and genetic history of their egg donor. Being adopted, this is the exact same information that I had wanted growing up. …

… I am completely against [the government banning anonymous donation] and think this idea would bring way more harm than good to our reproductive community.…I have many clients that come to me in their search for a donor very concerned about confidentiality. They are only interested in an anonymous donation because due to their family’s cultural or religious beliefs, their family will not accept, and will not love any child that is born as a result of egg donation. While anyone can hear this and say it is wrong and unjust – this is their reality. …

In summation, as an adult adoptee and the owner of an egg donor program that facilitates both anonymous and open egg donation cycles, I believe that the right to choose is key. I do believe that every person has the inherent right to know their genetic background. (And I am happy that I was able to obtain information later on in life.) But the important thing to remember is that we are still able to provide offspring with the information they desire (satisfying the same curiosities I had) through anonymous egg donation cycles.”

Food for thought; what do you think?

Access the blog here: http://www.creatingafamily.org/blog/infertility-fertility-trying-to-conceive-ivf-donor-egg/identified-anonymous-egg-sperm-donors/

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Family Creations is back from ASRM!

by Admin on October 29, 2010

ASRM taking over the Denver Convention Center

Co-Founders of Family Creations, Stephanie Goldman-Levich and Julia Alkire are getting settled back in after an incredible trip to Denver where they attended the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s (ASRM) annual conference.

Some highlights of the conference included a post-graduate course about third party reproduction, a debate about open vs. closed gamete donation, visiting with colleagues from around the country, and the inaugural run/walk for reproductive health! Even though it called for a 4:30am wake up call Julia states: “The crisp morning Denver air and the opportunity to raise money for ASRM made it very worth it!”

They left feeling inspired, and grateful to work in such an incredible field. They look forward to ASRM next year!

Julia Alkire & Stephanie Goldman-Levich at ASRM's run/walk for reproductive health

Downtown Denver

Stephanie Goldman-Levich & Julia Alkire at ASRM

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The REAL World of Egg Donation

by Admin on October 15, 2010

The REAL World of Egg Donation – By Stephanie Goldman-Levich

A couple of weeks ago, in a show that many would call a “guilty pleasure” a storyline about egg donation was introduced. First, I will blame the love that I have for this show on being a child of the 80’s. I think it would be very hard to find many young women my age who don’t know the names Brandon Walsh and Dylan McKay. If these names do not conjure up memories of the Peach Pit or West Beverly High School, then I should fill you in that this guilty pleasure I refer to is the classic – Beverly Hills 90210. Two years ago, a new version of 90210 was created which is the show I have been (until now) secretly watching since its inception.

Before I explain my issues with the past two episodes, let me start by saying that I am a fan of the show. I enjoy watching the weekly drama unfold and while some of the storylines are predictable, the acting is actually quite good and it’s enough to keep me tuning in week after week. With that said…

Last week, I was very excited to see a new storyline introduced about egg donation. For those of you who don’t watch the show, a main character named Annie (played by Shenae Grimes) was approached by her boss asking Annie to donate her eggs to her and her husband who cannot conceive otherwise. Well, actually she asked to “buy her eggs” which according to a Federal Law called The National Organ Transplant Act – is illegal. This was my first issue with the show. But, I thought – this will be corrected. The character shouldn’t know the laws surrounding egg donation, so surely the writers will correct this later on. (I’ll spare you the anticipation and tell you that the writers made no attempts to correct this and proceeded to use the words “selling my eggs” and “buying her eggs” throughout the entire storyline.) Moving on… Annie’s boss proceeds to explain that she is prepared to pay Annie $20,000. My second issue.

In the REAL world of egg donation, egg donors are compensated for their time and inconvenience. Not for their eggs. And the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) has guidelines regarding donor compensation which clearly states that compensation in excess of $10,000 to egg donors is never appropriate. So the idea that Annie would “sell her eggs” for $20,000 would for one be illegal, and secondly, (in regards to the compensation) would be highly unethical.

Through the next couple of episodes we learn that Annie (because of her family’s financial troubles) has accepted the $20,000 offer and her boss would transfer her compensation to her bank account that week – which would be the week she was starting injections for the cycle. Annie was then handed a brown paper bag with syringes in it, by her boss! They reviewed some simple instructions and Annie was told that she could come to her boss if she needed help with the injections. No doctor’s appointments. No instructions from a medical facility. Nothing.

In the REAL world of egg donation, donors are screened long before they are given injections to start a cycle. That screening will include psychological evaluations, physical examinations, infectious disease screening, genetic testing, drug testing, and more. Only after a potential donor passes these panels of tests is she approved to begin a donation cycle. And before a clinic will even think about asking a donor to start injections for a cycle, they will make sure that the recipient and the egg donor have entered into a legal agreement with each other. And when the clinic is ready to have the donor start her medication, the injections are given to the donor by the physician’s office or mailed to the donor by a pharmacy, which ensures the integrity of the medication.

Annie goes on to tell her mother about her plans to “sell her eggs”, (after Annie tried to hide it from her, but was caught.) Annie’s mother prohibited her from following through with the process even after Annie explained how the compensation would financially help the family. Later in the episode, another character gives birth, and Annie and her mother are at the hospital and holding the newborn. While looking at the beautiful newborn baby, Annie realizes the implications of being a donor. She and her mother have a bonding moment where they together decided that it is not the right decision. And that’s how it was left.

In the REAL world of egg donation, the donor would have been psychologically screened, and these implications would have been addressed long before the donor actually started the donation cycle.

Now, it is possible that the writers will keep the storyline alive and follow the recipients through their search for a new donor. I only hope this is the case if the writers will be more responsible and accurately portray egg donation for what it is. I am the director of an international egg donor program that facilitates mostly anonymous egg donation cycles. While Annie’s donation would have been considered a “known” or “directed” donation and therefore procedures would be slightly different, the items I have addressed were still grossly misrepresented.

But, alas – I will admit that when the next episode airs on October 25^th at 8:00pm standard time, I will be tuning in. Partly to watch the drama unfold. Will Ivy and Dixson get back together? Will Silver and Naomi tell the truth about Mr. Canon? And partly, to see if the writers will redeem themselves and more accurately portray what the REAL world of egg donation looks like.

Stephanie Goldman-Levich is a Co-Founder of Family Creations, LLC. (www.familycreations.net) She and her business partner Julia Alkire-McConnell founded Family Creations in 2006. Stephanie and Julia have been named two of America’s Top Entrepreneurs Under the age of 30 by Inc. Magazine and have been featured in various publications including Valley Life, and ForbesWoman.

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16 year old Allegra, conceived with the help of an egg donor talks about her story

by Admin on October 7, 2010

16 year old Allegra, and her twin brother Matt were conceived with the help of an egg donor. Allegra and Matt’s parents have always been open with them about how they were conceived and in this video Allegra discusses her thoughts and feelings about what her unique story means to her.

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Pioneer of IVF awarded 2010 Nobel Prize!

by Admin on October 5, 2010

Professor Robert Edwards, the British pioneer of IVF

What an exciting week in the world of reproductive medicine! Robert G. Edwards who worked to develop and really invent the process of in vitro fertilization was awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize. His contributions have helped millions become parents and because of him, our work of matching intended parents with egg donors and surrogates to create a family is possible.

Article by Thomas H. Maugh II – Los Angeles Times

British biologist Robert G. Edwards, whose contributions to the technology of in vitro fertilization have made more than 4 million couples parents, has been awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine.

Working with Dr. Patrick Steptoe, Edwards, now 85, developed the techniques for removing mature eggs from a woman’s ovaries, fertilizing them in test tubes and inducing them to begin dividing before implanting them back in the mother.

Their efforts yielded the July 25, 1978, birth of Louise Brown, the first “test tube baby,” both demonstrating the success and the safety of the technique and bringing hope to infertile people all over the world. An estimated 10% of all couples are unable to conceive naturally.

Edwards, an emeritus professor at Cambridge University, is in failing health and was unable to accept the early morning call from Sweden’s Nobel Committee. “I spoke to his wife, and she was delighted, and she was sure he would be delighted too,” the committee’s secretary, Goran Hansson, told a Stockholm news conference.

In a statement released by Bourn Hall, the Cambridge in vitro fertilization, or IVF, clinic founded by Edwards and Steptoe, Ruth Edwards said, “The family is thrilled and delighted that Professor Edwards has been awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine for the development of IVF. The success of this research has touched the lives of millions of people worldwide, and his dedication and single-minded determination despite opposition from many quarters has led to successful application of his pioneering research.”

Steptoe was not named as a recipient of the $1.5-million prize because Nobel rules require that an honoree be alive at the time of the award. He died in 1988, 13 years before New York’s Lasker Foundation awarded Edwards its top award, which is often viewed as a precursor to the Nobel.

Critics have questioned why it has taken so long to honor the pair’s achievements. Some suspect that it is due in part to the Vatican’s disapproval of the technique because it physically separates the conjugal act and conception. Many other religious groups also initially expressed concerns about the ethics of IVF, and Britain’s Medical Research Council refused to fund the experiments, spurring Edwards and Steptoe to obtain private grants.

Most such groups have since changed their positions, and the Catholic Church remains the only major group opposed to IVF. In an e-mail statement Monday, Monsignor Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, head of the Pontifical Academy for Life, said that the award “is not completely out of place.” But he criticized the research for opening the door to the destruction of embryos and the creation of a commercial market for human eggs. He also said the research raised questions because it did not address the underlying problem of infertility, but only circumvented it.

Edwards began experimenting with IVF in the mid-1950s after receiving his doctorate from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Other researchers already had shown that rabbit eggs could be successfully inseminated in the test tube, leading to viable offspring, and Edwards initially assumed that human eggs would be little different.

It turned out, however, that human eggs had a very different life cycle from that of rabbit eggs. Over the next 20 years, Edwards made a number of fundamental discoveries, clarifying how human eggs matured, how different hormones regulated their maturation and at which times the eggs could be inseminated successfully. He also determined the conditions under which sperm were activated and had the capacity to fertilize eggs.

By 1969, he had successfully fertilized an egg in a test tube — or, more accurately, in a laboratory petri dish. But the egg would not proceed beyond the first cellular division. Edwards reasoned that the egg needed to mature in the womb. He contacted Steptoe, a gynecologist who was one of the pioneers in laparoscopy, in which a thin telescope inserted through the vagina is used to observe the ovaries and manipulate eggs.

After much further work, the pair performed the first successful IVF on Lesley Brown, who came to the clinic after she and her husband, John, had tried for nine years to have a child. Baby Louise was born, and a new world was opened.

“Louise’s birth signified so much,” Edwards said at her 25th birthday celebration in 2003. “We had to fight a lot of opposition, but we had concepts that we thought would work, and they worked.”

Louise recently had her own child, the old-fashioned way. In a statement released by Bourn Hall, she said, “It’s fantastic news; me and Mum are so glad that one of the pioneers of IVF has been given the recognition he deserves. We hold Bob in great affection and are delighted to send our personal congratulations to him and his family at this time.”

An estimated 142,000 IVF procedures are performed each year in the U.S. at a cost of about $4 billion. The success rate is about 1 in every 5 procedures, about the same rate as conventional attempts to become pregnant.

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