The face of IVF revolution

Time Capsule: India's first test-tube baby (1978)

Radhika Pasrija

Updated At : 07:56 AM Oct 03, 2024 IST

India's first test-tube baby (1978). iStock

A little over two months after the world’s first test-tube baby came into being, was born Kanupriya Agarwal, the world’s second and India’s first test-tube baby. Kanupriya was nicknamed ‘Durga’ by her parents as her birth date — October 3, 1978 — coincided with the first day of Durga Puja that year.

Now in her 40s, Kanupriya leads a private life in Mumbai with her husband and is mother to a 10-year-old daughter. She has spoken publicly about her experiences, advocating for infertility awareness. She, however, has had a baby through natural conception.

Kanupriya’s parents had struggled with infertility for over a decade before they came in contact with a Bengali physician, Dr Subhas Mukherjee, who came to their rescue and was the reason behind their happiness. Unfortunately, Dr Mukherjee’s ground-breaking achievement in delivering India’s first test-tube baby went unrecognised during his lifetime.

Despite his pioneering work, he faced ostracism from the medical and scientific communities, as well as the state government. An expert panel rubbished his research, and the Central government restricted his international travel for scientific collaborations.

Tragically, Dr Mukherjee’s harassment led to his untimely death by suicide in 1981. His poignant final words expressed his despair: “I can’t wait every day for a heart attack to kill me.”

It wasn’t until later that Dr Mukherjee’s contributions were acknowledged, and his legacy was celebrated. As for Kanupriya, she had petitioned for the Bharat Ratna for her creator.

A test-tube baby refers to a child conceived outside a woman’s body in a laboratory through the scientific process of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), which is a complex series of procedures used to help with fertility or prevent genetic problems and assist with the conception of a child.

During IVF, mature eggs are collected (retrieved) from ovaries and fertilised by sperm in a lab. The fertilised eggs (embryos) are transferred to a uterus. One full cycle of IVF takes about three weeks.