Thirty years after Reproductive Science Center helped bring in vitro fertilization to the West Coast, East Bay’s original “test tube” babies are first, again
SAN RAMON, Calif. (Feb. 22, 2013) – When Brian Strickland and his wife Melissa give birth to their first child later this year, Brian will join the ranks of a small minority of Americans who represent the “test tube” generation as parents.
Strickland and Elizabeth Castro Wilson, born just two months apart in 1985, were the first children conceived through in vitro fertilization at Reproductive Science Center of the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the West Coast’s first IVF clinics.
Strickland and Wilson, who are now in their late 20s, are marking another RSC milestone by being among an estimated less than 50 IVF babies born in California to have had children of their own – RSC also estimates that less than 600 “test tube” babies nationally now have children.
As the practice celebrates the births of more than 5,000 children and its 30th anniversary, attention has again focused on their first IVF babies.
“It’s really special to be apart of the RSC family and know that you serve as witness to a new generation in fertility,” stated Strickland, who met Wilson at RSC’s 25th anniversary. “As IVF specialists work towards new heights in fertility, I hope that our story helps to add meaning to the work that they do.”
Wilson now lives in Prescott, Ariz. with her daughter.
“We’ve covered a lot of ground since RSC first opened its doors,” said Dr. Louis Weckstein, who serves as medical and IVF director and has been with RSC for 23 years. “As our technology matures to ensure the best possible pregnancy success rates, stories like Brian’s and Elizabeth’s remind us how fortunate we are to see the lasting effects of IVF.”
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