Science Time Machine | The Development of Assisted Reproductive Technology in China

March 10, 1988

The first test-tube baby was born in China

On March 10, 1988, my country's first test-tube baby was born successfully at the Third Hospital of Peking University Medical College (PKU-3H). The baby weighed 3,900 grams, was 52 centimeters long, and was in good health, marking a major advance in my country's modern medical technology.

The baby girl was named Zheng Mengzhu, with "萌" meaning new life and hope, and "珠" paying tribute to Professor Zhang Lizhu, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Peking University Third Hospital, who was the key figure in this miracle of life. Zheng Mengzhu is from Gansu and grew up healthily since childhood. After completing her studies, she chose to return to the Reproductive Medicine Center of Peking University Third Hospital and became a member of the team.

Time flies, and on April 15, 2019, Zheng Mengzhu welcomed the birth of her own child at the Peking University Third Hospital, the starting point of her life. The successful birth of this "second-generation test-tube baby" not only brought joy to the family, but also strongly verified the safety and reliability of China's assisted reproductive technology from a practical level.

IVF technology fulfills mother's dream

After more than 30 years, Zheng Mengzhu's mother Zheng Guizhen looked back on the past and expressed her infinite gratitude for the in vitro fertilization technology. It was this technology that enabled her to realize her dream of becoming a mother.

In 1987, Zheng Guizhen, a teacher in a remote mountain village in Gansu, accidentally heard a radio broadcast about a Beijing hospital conducting in vitro fertilization research. After many years of marriage, having a child was her greatest wish, but the difficulty of blocked fallopian tubes made this dream out of reach. After seeking medical treatment in many places without success, this radio news was like a ray of hope, which strengthened her determination to go to Beijing.

After arriving in Beijing, facing this strange and prosperous city, the road to find a hospital was particularly difficult. Fortunately, when taking a break at Beijing Station, Zheng Guizhen and her husband met a couple who also came for in vitro fertilization. The two teams thus became friends and embarked on a journey to Peking University Third Hospital together.

When they stepped into the gate of Peking University Third Hospital, the world's first test-tube baby had been successfully born eight years ago. For medical workers, "first" is the goal to catch up. Researchers from all over the world have launched test-tube baby research projects, and medical staff in mainland China have also been working hard to catch up.

In fact, as early as 1986, thanks to the support of the National Natural Science Foundation, the former Ministry of Health had included "Eugenics - Research on the Protection, Preservation and Development of Early Embryos" in the National "Seventh Five-Year" Science and Technology Research Plan. As the leader of the project, Professor Zhang Lizhu is leading the team to explore tirelessly. Before Zheng Guizhen came to Peking University Third Hospital, Professor Zhang Lizhu's team had successfully implanted embryos in some infertile women, but for various reasons, they did not wait until the fetus matured and could be delivered.

Protecting pregnant women is like protecting "giant pandas"

At that time, laboratory resources were extremely scarce. In vitro fertilization surgery requires the collection of eggs through laparotomy, but the Third Hospital of Peking University Medical College only has one egg retrieval needle. Once the needle becomes blunt, it needs to be sent to a watch shop for polishing. Due to the lack of professional temperature control devices, follicular fluid samples are carefully placed in thermos cups to maintain a suitable temperature. As for the culture medium, it needs to be prepared according to the established formula... It was in such a severe environment that Professor Zhang Lizhu's team successfully obtained eggs and successfully completed the in vitro fertilization process with unremitting efforts.

The fertilized egg then entered the division stage, and Professor Zhang Lizhu used a special plastic catheter to carefully transplant the fertilized egg into Zheng Guizhen's uterus. After the transplant, the researchers were afraid that the tiny embryo would "sneak out", so Zheng Guizhen was strictly protected like a "giant panda". After seven weeks of anxious waiting, the doctor finally detected the strong beating of the fetus's primitive heart, which marked a decisive success in clinical pregnancy. Since then, Zheng Guizhen has been monitored for blood pressure and fetal heart rate every day to ensure the health of mother and baby.

After a long journey of ten months of pregnancy, Zheng Guizhen gave birth to her daughter, Zheng Mengzhu, through cesarean section on March 10, 1988. She also became the first test-tube baby in mainland China. When it was confirmed that Mengzhu was a healthy baby, Zhang Lizhu finally put her heart at ease.

“Triple-frozen” test-tube babies are born one after another

After Zheng Mengzhu was born, she returned to Gansu with her parents and settled there. After completing her university studies, she joined the Reproductive Medicine Center of Peking University Third Hospital, specializing in medical record management. "This job gives me a sense of belonging, and I feel very happy to be able to help many families with similar experiences to my parents," said Zheng Mengzhu.

After Zheng Mengzhu was born, my country has made a series of milestone achievements in the field of assisted reproduction: the first gamete fallopian tube transfer test tube baby, frozen-thaw embryo test tube baby and "three frozen" (i.e. frozen eggs, frozen sperm, frozen embryos) test tube baby were successfully born in Peking University Third Hospital. Since then, reproductive medicine centers have been established across the country, and assisted reproductive technology has been promoted nationwide. In particular, in the past decade, Chinese scientists have published many influential medical research papers in international authoritative scientific journals such as Science, Nature, and The Lancet, and have actively participated in the formulation of international guidelines in the field of reproductive health.

"Zheng Mengzhu was born in 1988, ten years later than the world's first test-tube baby. After more than three decades of development, China has leapt to the forefront of the world in many fields of assisted reproductive technology, and some areas have even reached the world's leading level." Liu Ping, former executive deputy director of the Reproductive Medicine Center of Peking University Third Hospital and a witness to the birth of Zheng Mengzhu, said frankly.

In September 2014, Peking University Third Hospital successfully gave birth to the world's first test-tube baby screened for single-gene genetic diseases using MALBAC genome amplification high-throughput sequencing technology. This achievement marks that China has reached the world's leading level in the field of preimplantation genetic diagnosis technology, and means that the major challenge of "birth defects" in the field of reproductive health is gradually being overcome.

The second generation of test tube baby was born successfully

At 8:34 am on April 15, 2019, Zheng Mengzhu successfully gave birth to a healthy baby boy after 39 weeks of natural conception at Peking University Third Hospital. The successful birth of the "second-generation test-tube baby" marks a milestone in China's assisted reproductive technology and conclusively verifies the safety of the technology, that is, women born through assisted reproductive technology can reproduce normally.

According to Zhao Yangyu, director of the obstetrics department of Peking University Third Hospital, the operation went smoothly and the amount of bleeding was kept at a low level. Due to the abnormal fetal position, a cesarean section was used for delivery. The newborn weighed 3,850 grams, was 52 centimeters long, and cried loudly. After the birth, medical staff showed Zheng Mengzhu's father the baby's limbs that moved freely, confirming that its limbs were well developed.

Qiao Jie, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and president of Peking University Third Hospital, pointed out that China's assisted reproductive technology and its derivative applications have expanded from solving the problem of infertility to conquering the field of single-gene genetic diseases, aiming to prevent birth defects and promote eugenics. At present, there are more than 7,000 known types of single-gene genetic diseases, hundreds of which can be accurately screened through preimplantation genetic diagnosis technology to select healthy embryos and help more families realize their eugenic wishes.

In addition, assisted reproductive technology also plays an important role in protecting and preserving fertility. Qiao Jie emphasized that for cancer patients who undergo radiotherapy, chemotherapy and other treatments that may affect their reproductive function, ovarian cell freezing, semen and testicular tissue preservation, and embryo freezing provide patients with the possibility of giving birth to healthy children after the tumor is cured.

Looking back over the past 30 years, the development of assisted reproductive technology has not only witnessed the changes in China's fertility demands and concepts. Liu Ping, an expert at Peking University Third Hospital, said that the technology was initially mainly used in childless families with primary infertility. With the changing times, more and more elderly families hope to have a second child with the help of assisted reproductive technology. This trend has led to more complex treatment challenges for doctors, such as patients with aging accompanied by a variety of diseases that may affect reproductive function.

Reference sources: China National Radio, China Science Popularization, and WeChat official account of Peking University Third Hospital