20 YEARS OF IVF AT SAINT PIERRE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
OPEN HOUSE ON NOVEMBER 15, 2003
Louise, the first child conceived by in vitro fertilization was born
in England in 1978.
This, after the widespread use of contraception, a new facet in
the control of human reproduction appeared at the end of the 20th
century
with the arrival of “test-tube” babies. Mathieu, the
first one at the CHU Saint-Pierre Hospital birth, the care and management
of infertile couples has been in constant evolution.
We wanted to celebrate this anniversary by organizing an Open House
which will illustrate techniques, present testimonies from infertile
couples and tell what has become of these, in every way similar to
others except in the manner of their conception.
This Open House targets :
- members of the general public who want to understand or share
this unusual journey;
- the parents of test-tube babies allowing them to be open about
their experiences and feelings related to the children’s conception.
A guided tour will bring the family back to “where it all began”.
- Children who want to participate in amusing activities centered
on “how babies are made”;
- Paramedical staff who will discover other aspects of their profession
involving IVF
- Doctors and scientists who are interested in the constantly changing
treatments for their patients, in the reproductive process for people
who are not “the norm” and in the humanization of a procedure
which is highly technical even through it addresses the most intimate
aspect of people’s lives.
We dedicate this day :
- to all
of those who have “gone through it” and to
those who may some day be confronted by the problem;
- to Professor Leroy, founder of the IVF Center at Saint-Pierre Hospital
and to all of those who struggled along with him to restore hope
for infertile couples.
Throughout the day….
Voyage to the center of the technique
The care of infertile couples begins with the diagnosis of the reasons
for infertility and pinpoints abnormalities both in the woman and
in the man.
Comprehension of the dysfunctions which lead couples to seek.
Medically Assisted Procreation is an important stage towards the
acceptance of the treatment.
Throughout the day you will visit an exhibit of posters explaining
the causes of infertility and hear comments by the specialists.
The in-vitro fertilization procedure includes :
-an ovulation stimulating and oocyte’s growth monitoring stage.
The stimulation techniques will be explained by a poster. The public
will be able to visit the places where ovulation is monitored through
ultra-sound and management by the nursing staff
-a stage of treatment of the gamets. During this stage, in the laboratory
the harvested oocytes and the preated sperm are put in contact with
each other in order that fertilization may take place “in vitro”.
This is the least well known phase for patients aspect of the treatment.
It takes place in an isolated “alcove” of the operating-room,
the culture room which is open only to specialized biologists. In
order to explain this unknown phase of the treatment, the biologists
have reconstituted a mock culture room in which practical workshops
will be held. The handling of oocytes, sperm and embryos will be
presented here along with the techniques of embryo-freezing. Since
IVF in humans is an adaptation of the technique developed in the
animal world, we will be using mouse gamets for our demonstrations.
Furthermore, the public will be able to follow the complete IVF
journey of a sterile couple by watching a film which covers this
subject. It will be shown repeatedly throughout the day.
The
woman’s journey, the couple’s
journey : filmed testimonies
For the past twenty years we have been helping couples in their difficult
guest towards having a child.
The success rate of IVF in Belgium is 25 % per try. This obviously
implies that certain treatments are longer than others, some are
dooned to fail and some evolve towards alternative solutions such
as oocyte or sperm donation and even adoption.
In order to share these informative yet diverse experiences, we have
asked couples to share them with us. These 14 filmed testimonies
will address the various subjects related to medically assisted procreation
(pregnancies and multiple attempts, failure, adoption, donor sperm,
donor oocyte, …) in taped interviews which will be projected
throughout the day.
Activities for children from 3 to 20
Since Mathieu’s birth 20 years ago, techniques have changed
and the indications for IVF have been broadened. Up until now, nearly
10.000 cycles have been handled, per year, in Belgium and worldwide,
over a million children have been conceived in this manner : being
born a “test-tube” baby is no longer unusual !
We are certain that it is essential that the child be informed of
the history of his conception. This knowledge includes not only the “secret
of his fabrication” but also the experiences of his parents
and relatives. The child must therefore be accepted by society and
by himself in spite of this particularity. This can only be possible
in a society in which both adults and children are well informed.
Each age
group will be targeted through activities in various information
areas. This will allow parents to come back to “where it happened” and
perhaps, find here, the words to explain it all.
- a storyteller will talk about « making babies »;
- a child will give a talk about IVF to the 8 to 12 year-olds ;
- teenagers will be able to speak with the creators of a comic strip
about IVF ;
- children of homosexual couples discuss their home life, in video
taped interviews ;
- a stand presenting children’s literature about the subject
will be available ;
- for the very young make-up, a clown and recreational videos will
be proposed all under the watchful eye of babysitters.
And finally,
the morning’s activities will end with the proclamation
of the results of our drawing contest. The theme of this contest
was “how to make babies differently”. It has been advertised
in the press, in schools throughout Brussels and in children’s
bookstores. The jury includes comic strip authors and illustrators,
doctors and political representatives all of whom will be present
for the event.
Art et A.R.T (Assisted Reproductive Technologies) : exhibit
Although the IVF technique remains highly sophisticated, its medical
aspects have become much easier over the years. Humanization in
the management of IVF patients remains a challenge for the future.
This challenge addresses men and women in every dimension whether
it be emotional, psychological, social and even artistic.
Laurent Carpentier, painter,
Jean-François
Diord, painter sculptor,
Fabien Glineur, painter sculptor,
Pierre Kroll, draughtsman humorist,
Géraldine Langlois, artist photographer,
Sophie Retif, artist photographer.
Scientific Program
Scientific conferences will be organized between 1.30 PM and 5.30
PM.
We will hear from reknowned speakers whose topics will address :
- The history of IVF,
- The humanization of IVF management through a multidisciplinary
approach,
- Medically assisted procreation for marginal groups of patients
sometimes unaccepted elsewhere.
Program :
13h30 : Introduction
Professor M. ROOZE, vice deam of the Faculty of Medicine of the ULB
14h : History of medical assisted procreation
Professor F. LEROY, founder of the center of in vitro fertilization
of the CHU Saint-Pierre
Doctor M. CAMUS, Head of the center of in vitro fertilization of
the AZ-VUB
14h45 : Infertility : suffering of disease ?
Professor L. ROEGIERS, childpsychiatrist in perinatality at the Saint-Luc
clinic, part-time lecturer up the unit of biomedical ethics of the
UCL
F. CAILLEAU, psychologist in the center of in vitro fertilization
of the CHU Saint-Pierre and assistant with the faculty of psychology
of the ULB
15h30 : Homoparenting parents like any others
Professor A. CADORET, ethnologist, in charge of research in the National
Scientific Research Center in France
16h15 : Medical Assisted Procreation for all
Professor N. Clumeck, head of the Department Infectious Diseases
of the CHU Saint-Pierre, AIDS reference center
17h00 : Take home message
Professor M. Degueldre, head of the Department of Gynaecology and
Obstetrics of the CHU Saint-Pierre
