Infertility could become thing of past

INFERTILITY could become a thing of the past as scientists improve techniques and learn how stem cells are programmed to develop into eggs and sperm, a fertility expert said yesterday.

On the eve of the 25th birthday of Louise Brown, the world’s first test tube baby, Professor Alan Trounson predicted infertility in the future may not be the problem it is today.

“I am certain that in the long term we will be able to help everyone,” he told a news conference. About three out of every four couples facing infertility can benefit from current treatments. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), in which a single sperm is injected into the egg, has enabled infertile men to have children and embryonic screening and other techniques have improved success rates.