Question

Santosh was one day glancing through some magazines when he saw an article on 'Test tube babies. Wanting to know more about this, he asked his aunt, an eminent surgeon. To clarify his doubts and to develop his scientific temper, she took him to her clinic. On reaching the fertility department, he was briefed by doctors who were eager to explain to this young boy. He was taken to various labs and work rooms, and he also had a glimpse at a newborn test tube baby. He was impressed by the advancement and use of latest technologies in India. On returning home, he decided to learn more about how medical science has progressed over the years. Few topics on which he explored are:

1. Doctors who worked on test tube babies in India. Who is the first Indian test tube baby? When she was born, her name and where she lives.
2. First test tube baby in the world.
3. Other technologies used to develop embryo artificially. Success rate of each method.
4. Difference between Siamese, identical and conjoined twins. Number of conjoined cases in India and their success rate.
5. What is meant by surrogate mother? Why is it given importance in recent times?

Answer 1

(i)

• Doctors involved:Dr. Subhash Mukhopadhyay, along with Dr. Sunit Mukherji and Dr. Saroj Kanti Bhattacharya.
• First Indian test tube baby:Durga (legally named Kanupriya Agarwal).
• Date of birth: October 3, 1978 in Kolkata.
• Current location: She lives in Mumbai with her family.

(ii) 

• Name: Louise Joy Brown
• Date of birth:July 25, 1978.
• Country: Oldham General Hospital, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom.
• Doctors involved: Developed by Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards (who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2010).

(iii) Apart from standard In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF), several Assistive Reproductive Technologies (ART) are used:

1. ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection): A single sperm is injected directly into an egg.

• Success rate: About 40% to 50% per cycle for younger women.

2. GIFT (Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer): Unfertilized eggs and sperm are placed directly into the fallopian tube so fertilization happens inside the body.

• Success rate: Roughly 25% to 30%.

3. IUI (Intrauterine Insemination): Washed sperm is directly injected inside the uterus around ovulation time.

• Success rate: Lower, around 10% to 20% per cycle depending on age.

(iv)

Basis of Difference	Identical Twins	Conjoined (Siamese) Twins
Formation	Single fertilized egg splits completely into two separate embryos.	Single fertilized egg fails to split completely during early development.
Physical Status	Born completely separate and independent of each other.	Born physically attached or connected at specific body regions.
Genetic Similarity	Share 100% identical DNA and are always the same sex.	Share 100% identical DNA and are always the same sex.
Indian Incidence	Quite common, occurring in about 3 to 4 per 1,000 live births.	Extremely rare, occurring in 1 in 50,000 to 100,000 pregnancies.
Survival and Success Rate	Follows the normal human infant survival and health rates.	High stillborn rate (40%–60%); surgical separation success ranges from 20%–50%.

(v) Importance in Recent Times:

• It provides a viable solution for couples dealing with severe infertility, uterine abnormalities, or repeated miscarriages.
• It enables late motherhood options for career-oriented women or individuals with high-risk medical conditions who cannot biologically safely sustain a pregnancy.
• Advancements in Gestational Surrogacy allow the child to be 100% genetically related to the intended parents using their own egg and sperm via IVF.