History of IVF worldwide
The HFEA started work on 1st August 1991 and was the first regulator in this area. But the UK was not the first country to pass specific legislation around IVF techniques and embryo research.
Following the first IVF birth in Australia in 1980, the Government of Victoria established a review of IVF research and practice which led to the proclamation of the Infertility (Medical Procedures) Act 1984.
A study by the International Committee for Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technology estimated that over three million IVF babies were born around the world between 1978 and 2006.
... more about the history of IVF worldwide
Find out more about the history of IVF in countries around the world.
Page last updated: 17 March 2009