Today we take it for granted. And the procedure has been a godsend to thousands of couples who wanted children but were unable to conceive.
In vitro fertilization, or IVF. It's common now, but not so long ago it was both rare and controversial.
Two British scientists pioneered the procedure in which a woman's egg is fertilized outside the body and later implanted in the womb. There had been several tests, all unsuccessful until July 25, 1978-38 years ago today-when Louise Joy Brown was born in Oldham, England.
Her birth made headlines around the world and Brown was soon nicknamed the "test-tube baby."
And the event drew it's share of criticism. Some saw IVF as infringing of divine prerogative. And the Roman Catholic Church, while not condemning Louise Brown's parents, worried the new technology could lead to women becoming "baby factories."
But moral objections quickly fell by the wayside as more and more couples saw a way to make their dreams come true.
Louise Brown's sister Natalie, younger by four years, was also the result of IVF and became the 40th baby born from the procedure. By then IVF births were no longer big news. In 1999 Natalie became the first person conceived through IVF to give birth herself.
Louise Brown is 38 now, married and the mother of two sons.
Today IVF accounts for about 1.5 percent of all births in the U.S. The procedure is not foolproof-success rates in optimal circumstances are less than 50 percent. But it does offer hope for the childless. IVF may not be perfect, but it's a an important medical breakthrough. And it first proved its worth 38 years ago today.
Happy Birthday Louise Brown.