The American Fertility Association Celebrates Nobel Prize Winner

NEW YORK, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Fertility Association (The AFA), a national non-profit organization, commends Nobel Committee members for awarding Dr. Robert G. Edwards the Nobel Prize in medicine. This highest honor was given to Dr. Edwards for his contributions to developing in vitro fertilization (IVF), a method that involves combining an egg with a sperm in a laboratory dish.  The development of IVF greatly increased the chances for infertile patients to conceive a child. The first "test tube baby," Louise Brown, was born in 1978, and since then almost 4 million babies have been conceived through IVF worldwide.

"IVF has gone from controversial to commonplace, and is more affordable and accessible to people seeking to build a family than ever imagined. Everyone today who sets out trying to have a family owes Bob Edwards a debt of gratitude because if they should ever run into a problem, there is an effective treatment ready to help them," says Dr. Alan Penzias, a Reproductive Endocrinologist with Boston IVF.

Infertility is not uncommon. One in eight couples in the U.S. are infertile. The AFA is committed to preventing infertility whenever possible, and to helping people build families of choice, particularly when faced with infertility. "The American Fertility Association congratulates Dr. Robert Edwards on being awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in medicine for his development of IVF," says Ken Mosesian, Executive Director of The AFA. "Edwards, along with co-developer, the late Dr. Patrick Steptoe, have enabled many of those dealing with infertility to experience the joy of family."

The AFA's mission is to advocate for, educate and support all hopeful parents through an extensive online library and creative education outreach programs across the United States. The organization knows how important unbiased, easily understandable and complete information is, as hopeful parents engage in the journey towards having children. As the subject of IVF becomes more frequently discussed in the mainstream, more people are turning to The AFA as their key source for education about this subject. More than 94,000 visitors came to The AFA online (http://www.theafa.org) in one month alone, and hundreds call the toll-free support line.

This year's Nobel Prize in medicine brings attention to infertility, a disease which has routinely been associated with shame, and will hopefully begin to normalize the conversation about reproductive health in the mainstream.

About The AFA

The American Fertility Association, a 501 (c) (3) national non-profit organization is a lifetime resource for infertility prevention, reproductive health and family building. The AFA's services and materials are provided free of charge to consumers are available to everyone without reservation. These include an extensive online library, a daily blog, telephone and in-person coaching, a resource directory, daily fertility news, a toll-free support line, and education outreach events.

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SOURCE The American Fertility Association